"I Got IBB's Authorization Before Issuing Statement"...Kassim Afegbua Insists

Kassim Afegbua 

Spokesman for former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Gbadamosi Babangida has maintained his grounds that, the statement he signed and issued, remains the position of his Principal.



Prince Kassim Afegbua, has reiterated that the former military President authorised the statement he issued earlier on Sunday.

Kassim Afegbua, who has, for several years running, being responsible for issuing and signing statements on behalf of IBB, said this when he appeared on Sunday Politics, a programme on Channels Television.

"I have been doing this job for about 14 years now. And I have never issued a statement on behalf of the former head of state and he gave a rebuttal. I got authorisation and commitment from him before I issued the statement. It has been in process", the Edo state politician stated.

The statement by Prince Afegbua became necessary following the emergence of another letter purportedly signed by IBB thereby generating so much controversy.

The controversial statement which allegedly bore the signatory of the military ruler, had claimed that the views in the earlier statement were those of Kassim Afegbua.

However, Prince Afegbua states that Babangida called him after the second statement went out.

"He has called me to say that the statement still stands", Afegbua said.

"Of course, you know IBB is for everyone. People want to love him more than he loves himself. People want to appreciate him more than he appreciates himself. People want to play the role of IBB".

"So, when the statement was released, some of his friends saw it and they felt we were trying to put the former President on a collision course with the President. So, they went and did a statement to deny that".

"But, I have since spoken to him; he called me and said, that statement stands. The kernel of that statement should inform public discourse and not necessarily people personalising it as if it were to be against the sitting President", Prince Afegbua reiterated.

"So, the statement stands and I have since communicated to all the media houses that they should respect that statement as coming from IBB. It did not emanate from my head. We sat down, we discussed and articulated them".

"General Babangida wants a new side of leadership, from the younger generation of Nigerians who, in his own views have the resourcefulness, the energy and capacity to manage governmental affairs".

"He is not personalizing his statement against the incumbent President. But he is saying, as a stakeholder and a concerned Nigerian, that he shares in the aspirations of the people".

In the statement, Ibrahim Babaginda had told Buhari to give room for a younger leader to emerge in 2019. He also said the time for restructuring had come and argued in favour of state police.

The former military ruler had, in the statement which has since gone viral, condemned violence by herdsmen and suggested solutions to the crisis.