Bayo Onanuga Defends Ibrahim Babangida, Refutes Osinbajo’s “Tormentor” Claim
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, has rejected the assertion made by former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo that former military President Ibrahim Babangida was a “tormentor” of Tinubu. The statement was made during the public presentation of Babangida’s autobiography, A Journey in Service, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja. Osinbajo, who reviewed the book, humorously referred to Tinubu as someone who had been tormented by the military, including Babangida, for attempting to reconstitute the dissolved Senate following the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
Onanuga, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, disagreed with Osinbajo’s characterization, arguing that Babangida was actually an inspiration for Tinubu’s political career. He pointed out that Tinubu has previously spoken about how Babangida’s focus on new breed politicians motivated him to enter politics. “Don’t forget that President Tinubu said in his own extempore speech that he held Babangida as something, that he was the person that inspired him to get into politics,” Onanuga stated.
The presidential adviser clarified that any perceived torment began under General Sani Abacha, not Babangida, when Tinubu and others tried to reconvene the Senate in Lagos. Onanuga also praised Babangida’s late admission that MKO Abiola won the 1993 election, acknowledging its significance, even though it came after the fact.
