Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi has revealed that four army generals helped Olusegun Obasanjo to become p-resident in 1999 but he outwitted all of them by remaining in power till 2007.
The former chief of staff in his new book titled: “Vindication of a General” claimed that 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 all planned and executed the return of former military head of state, Obasanjo to presidency in 1999.
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Bamaiyi who was detained during the Abdulsalami era said his travails were based on his support for Olu Falae, the candidate of the Alliance for Democracy rather than Obasanjo.
He revealed that as soon as Abdulsalami got to power, he started holding meetings with top generals on how to return to civilian rule and the person that would be put there.
He wrote: “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.”
Obasanjo being sworn in as president in 1999
“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.”
“General Abubakar prepared and handed over his (handover) report to Gen. Obasanjo’s team, dated June 1998. This means that he prepared the report as soon as he was sworn in as the commander-in-chief in June 1998.”
“I decided to take Chief Olu Falae to Gen. Abubakar and only Abubakar and I discussed this issue. I do not regret that action because I was and I am convinced Falae would have done better as president of our great country. I am glad those behind Obasanjo knew (sic) better.”
He said Babangida mooted the ploy as he not only liked Obasanjo but was desperate to retuen to power.
“This was not done because they liked Obasanjo, but because of the ambition of General Babangida to return as president after Obasanjo’s tenure.
“I believe that they saw Obasanjo as a political novice they would manipulate. They never thought they would meet a different Obasanjo from the one they had known in 1979.”
“When I discovered that some people were pushing for a president from the South-West, I asked a friend, Dr. Frank Adejuwon, a minister in the Abacha cabinet, to contact Chief Falae and bring him to Abuja.
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“I took Falae to Gen. Abubakar and told him that Falae was a very good candidate if the presidency had to go to the South-West. I believe Gen. Abubakar briefed Obasanjo, which led to an unforgiving Obasanjo developing actual hatred as far as I am concerned.”
Bamaiyi revealed that he was rooting for an open presidency but when there was pressure to choose someone from the south west, he selected Falae.
“When Gen. Abukakar took over, he and I had a discussion about the military and how Nigerians hated it. We agreed we should make a clean break by ensuring the next president would be someone without a military background.
“I was later told that for some reasons, others involved wanted someone from the South-West, which did not make any sense to me. I stood for an open election for Nigerians to decide who ruled them.”
