UNTOLD STORY OF IBB, OBJ WAR

The bitter fight between two former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida which blew open a couple of weeks back is still the talk of the town with close associates of the duo professing reasons for the no love lost between them.

Our sources agreed that the war did not start overnight between them but had been on-going but quietly subdued because of their military background.

“In the military, it is a very serious offence for you to disrespect your superior no matter the circumstance,” this was the situation with Babangida until he felt he could take it no more and voiced out his contempt for the overbearing attitude of Obasanjo over the years.

Even when he was a military president, he avoided having issues with Obasanjo even when Obasanjo found it very convenient to throw mud and bricks at him.

Go and check, OBJ did more than enough to be arrested during the Babangida regime. He did not only openly jettisoned the much talked about espirit-de-corp spirit and attacked IBB's government, he campaigned against him, IBB never for once replied him as he regarded him as his superior.

It was this attitude that OBJ extended to the late General Abacha's government which almost cost him his life, he felt he could say anything, do anything and get away with it, but Abacha would've none of that and he quickly showed him what it meant to be in power.”

Another source positioned that OBJ became the biggest benefactor of the annulment of the June 12 elections despite pretending to be a crusader against it.

“After the release of OBJ from prison on the recommendation of the likes of IBB and the need to placate the south west over the annulment, you'll recall that IBB and his team came all the way from Minna to Otta to not only rehabilitate him but also to chat a course for him.

They sold him the idea of coming back to the reigns of power and despite mounting an initial feeble opposition he accepted and left the planning and execution in the hands of IBB.

“When IBB came on the visit, OBJ was dead broke to the extent that he could not even extend the simple courtesy of entertaining his eminent guests who have come to reshape his life.

It was this meeting that gave rise to the second coming of OBJ who went on to rule the country for eight years.

While in power, IBB kept his distance so as not to be seen to be influencing major decisions of the regime, he restricted his activities to his hilltop residence, a close source to the gap-tooth ex-general disclosed that he neither curry nor got any patronage from OBJ's government.

One of the rewards IBB however got from his former boss, was a ground conspiracy not only to ridicule him but to destabilize his family, hence the many search lights on IBB'S government  and his suspected stupendous wealth which even culminated in the arrest of his son Mohammed who the EFCC claimed had a case to answer, but was later released when reasons prevailed.

After equaling the 8 year reign of IBB in government, the thought to surpass him started growing in the OBJ team and that was one of the reasons for the failed 3rd term bid.

OBJ reportedly accused IBB of using his closeness to the then senate President, Ken Nnamani to truncate his ambition and since then, their relationship became a cat and mouse game.

“You'll recall that OBJ was very critical of IBB when he was planning to retire to his hilltop mansion in Minna, OBJ not only built a bigger mansion also on a hilltop  in Abeokuta when he was planning his own retirement too, he entrenched his daughter in politics against public outcry.

When it was time for OBJ to go he felt the best way to keep IBB's dream of asking him to repay a favour  by giving him the necessary encouragement to actualize his ambition of becoming a civil president, was to bring up the late President Umaru Yar'adua, despite knowing his medical history, the rest as they say is now history.

Another source disclosed that OBJ had always seen IBB as someone he can never predict his movement or plans, so he kept an eye on him and monitor his activities closely.

“Recently, he found out that some of those he felt he empowered while in government have been hobnobbing with IBB and he found this hard to swallow.

“Some of OBJ's former aides reportedly revealed some of their plans to IBB which gave rise to his public rebuke of his former boss.

When Babangida heard all these coupled with the facts already known, he decide

September 07, 2011