The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has dismissed former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s claim that former military President, Ibrahim Babangida, was among those who tormented Tinubu during the military era.
Osinbajo made the remark while reviewing Babangida’s autobiography, A Journey in Service, at its public presentation in Abuja last week.
He recalled how Tinubu, then a senator, resisted the military’s dissolution of the Senate following the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
In a lighthearted comment, he noted that Tinubu, who was then “tormented” by the military, including Babangida, was now present to celebrate one of his former adversaries.
However, speaking on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme on Tuesday, Onanuga countered the claim, insisting that Babangida was, in fact, a major influence on Tinubu’s political journey.
“I think the former Vice President got it wrong. Babangida was not really a tormentor of President Tinubu. Don’t forget that in his own speech at the event, Tinubu acknowledged that Babangida inspired him to go into politics,” Onanuga said.
He explained that Babangida’s call for new-breed politicians in the late 1980s and early 1990s attracted several technocrats and private sector professionals, including Tinubu, into politics.
“The military president had talked about bringing in fresh faces, and many professionals, including Tinubu, heeded that call. So, he went there (the book launch) to pay homage,” Onanuga added.
The presidential aide clarified that Tinubu’s real challenges with the military began under General Sani Abacha when he and some lawmakers attempted to reconvene the Senate in Lagos.
Onanuga also commended Babangida’s recent admission that Chief MKO Abiola won the 1993 presidential election but noted that such acknowledgment came too late.
