2023 Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi has said that the former President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida admission that Chief MKO Abiola won the June 12 election is a step toward national healing, unity and progress of the nation.
Peter Obi made this known on X while giving update on attending the launch of President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida’s long-awaited autobiography, A Journey in Service, at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on Thursday.
According to him, “The most profound moments of the event was when IBB admitted that Chief MKO Abiola won the June 12 election. This acknowledgement is a step toward national healing, unity and progress of our nation.
“I hope that one day, other key players in Nigeria’s democracy will find the courage to recognize the true winners of past elections, allowing our nation to tell its story with honesty and reflection”.
Speaking of the former President’s reign, Peter Obi said Babangida’s contributions to Nigeria’s economy and his strong support for entrepreneurship and private sector growth remain immeasurable.
He pressed further that Under Ibrahim Babangida’s leadership, Nigeria witnessed substantial growth, particularly in the financial sector.
Adding that Babangida played a key role in fostering a united and equitable Nigeria, and economic landscape, ensuring policies that strengthened national cohesion and economic development.
Peter Obi said, “Documenting such experiences is a welcome development, as it allows us to learn from those who have served and left a lasting impact on the nation. I look forward to reading this book, which undoubtedly holds valuable lessons.
“As someone committed to continuous learning, I will always align myself with knowledge drawn from documented experiences and historical records as well as contributing to the legacy library”.
“The keynote Speaker’s notable quotation in French, “Rien n’a changé” meaning “Nothing much has changed.” In the case of Nigeria, we are worse off than we were during IBB’s era.
“Using our contemporary peers as a benchmark, when IBB left office in 1992, countries like Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, and Ghana were all in the low Human Development Index (HDI) category—just like Nigeria.
“Today, however, these nations have advanced to medium and high HDI levels, while Nigeria remains in the low HDI category, having either stagnated or declined.
He added, “The Keynote speaker’s comment that Ghana has remained a truly democratic country for the past 30 years, with leadership transitions that reflect the genuine votes of the people.
“Unlike Nigeria, where electoral outcomes often fail to reflect the people’s will, Ghana has witnessed instances where ruling party candidates conceded defeat, respecting democracy in its truest form”, Peter Obi admitted.
