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Claim: Former head of state Ibrahim Babangida via X allegedly commended former President Muhammadu Buhari for recognising Abiola as head of state and appreciated Nigerians for the opportunity to conduct the freest and fairest election in Nigeria.
Verdict: Misleading! Although Babangida acknowledged Buhari for recognising Abiola as the June 12, 1993 election winner in his new book, the former head of state never posted it on X as he does not own a handle on the social media application.
Full Text
On Feb. 20, 2025, former military head of state Ibrahim Babangida launched his memoir, “A Journey In Service”, which explored military executions, coups, and regrets that he encountered as a Nigerian military leader between 1985 and 1993.
Babangida spoke significantly about the annulment of the June 12, 1993, general elections, which produced Moshood Abiola as president.
Against this backdrop, an X user, Ibrahim B. Babangida (@General_Ibbro), who was posing as the former military leader, commended Nigeria’s former president, Muhammadu Buhari, for recognising Abiola as the winner of the June 12, 1993, general elections, and appreciated Nigerians for handing him the opportunity to conduct a free and fair election.
The post made on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, reads, “I was pleased when the Buhari administration finally recognised the Late M.K.O Abiola as a former head of state because he won the June 12, 1993, Presidential election & I want to thank Nigerians for giving me the opportunity to conduct the freest and fairest election in history.”
As of Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, the post has generated about 409,000 views, 3668 likes, 481 reposts, and 233 bookmarks and was quoted 190 times.
A review of the comment section indicates that while many users resorted to invectives, others attributed Nigeria’s situation to his selfish decision.
“You were a tyrant. Your damage control is not accepted. What about Dele Giwa? What about Mamman Vasta? What about army officers that crashed in a plane?” @Aluta_Panorama questioned.
Another user, @OneMeOneMe, wrote, “Let it be known you contributed to the hardship we experience in Nigeria today. Let it be known you are the foundation of corruption in all govt parastatals. Let it be known you are the creator of hired assassins against political opposition.”
Meanwhile, @egedeblessing5 said, “If you had not annulled those elections with the plans and the economic situations around the world, then Nigeria would have been a better place, but greed took the better part of you..”
Due to the personality involved and the reactions to the post, DUBAWA decided to verify the claim.
Verification
DUBAWA carried out a keyword search on the claimant’s quote. The result shows that the former military leader appreciated Buhari’s administration for posthumously recognising Abiola as the June 12, 1993 election winner. However, the remark is reportedly quoted from his recently launched book, which was not expressed via any social media handle.
“I am gratified that the Buhari administration finally recognised MKO Abiola as a ‘former head of state.’ Because it allows us to see things we wish we could change and say. As I said above, hindsight is helpful, but it can also be painful,” the book’s reviewer, Yemi Osibajo, read at the book launch.
DUBAWA checked the X account that made the post and noticed that it identifies as a parody account.
Recall that in 2024, Babangida publicly clarified he does not own any social media handle and urged the public to discard any claim emanating from these accounts impersonating him.
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s findings reveal that Babangida did not share any post via X applauding former president Buhari. The X account, alleged to be owned by the former military head of state, is a parody.
