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Abdulsalami, IBB, Danjuma, Gusau made Obasanjo president in 1999 — Bamaiyi
A former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, has shed light on the strategy allegedly deployed by former generals to ensure the emergence of a former military Head of State, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, as the country’s president in 1999.
Bamaiyi’s new book, Vindication of a General, claimed that a former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), who was in power at the time; former military dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida; ex-Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd.); and a former National Security Adviser, Gen. Aliyu Gusau, developed and executed the plan that helped Obasanjo to return to power as a civilian president in 1999.
The former army chief, who was detained for years during the Abdulsalami regime, attributed his travails to his opposition to Obasanjo’s candidacy and his support for the Alliance for Democracy’s presidential candidate in 1999, Chief Olu Falae.
He further revealed that the plot to return Obasanjo to power started shortly after Abdulsalami got into power. He alleged that Abdulsalami, on becoming the head of state, started holding secret meetings with Babangida and Gusau, on the future of the country.
He stated, “Unknown to me, Gen. (Abdulsalami) Abubakar had already committed himself to Generals Babangida, T.Y.Danjuma and Aliyu Gusau on General Obasanjo’s coming in to take over from him. A proposal I totally objected to, which I told Generals Abubakar, TY Danjuma and Aliyu Gusau in very clear terms. My stand did not go (down) well with the generals and General Abubakar started feeling unsafe.”
He stated, “He (Abdulsalami) was supported by some northern generals, who believed one of them would take over from Obasanjo after one term of four years. It was alleged that Obasanjo had promised Gen. Babangida that he would succeed him.”
Punch, April 2, 2017
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