Onanuga Disagrees with Osinbajo on Babangida’s Role in Tormenting Tinubu
Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, 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, while reviewing Babangida’s autobiography, A Journey in Service, at its public launch in Abuja last week, recalled how Tinubu, then a senator, opposed the military’s dissolution of the Senate following the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election. In his remarks, Osinbajo jokingly noted that Tinubu had been “tormented” by the military regime, including Babangida, but was now present to celebrate one of his former adversaries.
However, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, Onanuga refuted this claim, stating that Babangida was not a tormentor of Tinubu. Onanuga said, “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 elaborated that Babangida’s call for new-breed politicians in the late 1980s and early 1990s was a major factor in drawing several technocrats, including Tinubu, into politics. He explained, “The military president had talked about bringing in fresh faces, and many professionals, including Tinubu, heeded that call.”
Onanuga also clarified that Tinubu’s real political struggles with the military began under General Sani Abacha when Tinubu and some lawmakers attempted to reconvene the Senate in Lagos.
Additionally, Onanuga praised Babangida’s recent acknowledgment that Chief MKO Abiola won the 1993 presidential election, but he noted that the admission came “too late” to undo the consequences of the annulment.
