Dapo Akinrefon, Charles Kumolu, Gbenga Oke and James Ezema
9 January 2009
Lagos — EMINENT Nigerians have come out hard on former Military President, General Ibrahim Gbadamosi Babaginda (rtd) for endorsing the recent coup d'etat in Guniea.
Babangida, returned from Guinea as an envoy of President Umaru Yar'Adua and told the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) that the military intervention saved the country from another theatre of human and material waste.
Though, Nigeria's Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Ojo Madueke had stated Nigeria's disapproval to the coup, the former military ruler threw his weight behind the coup saying Guinea was already polarised and tensed before the armed forces came up to save the situation.
Constitutional lawyer, Professor Itse Sagay, who berated the former military leader of Nigeria over such comments, described the coup as an illegality which runs contrary to international law.
He said: "Any type of ascension to power, in other words, if you come to power by an undemocratic means, is illegal. It is not only illegal in a domestic constitution, it is illegal under international law now.
It's an illegality because the right to democracy is a human right which everybody is entitled to and by seizing power militarily, you are depriving the people of the means of that democratic rights."
He said further that "It's still a worldwide phenomenon that if you acquire power by coup, you are not to be recognized by anybody because that regime is an illegal regime and the world is supposed to, as much as possible, discourage such event and in fact support democratic process."
On the utterances made by Babangida, the legal luminary asserted that "what General Ibrahim Babangida is therefore doing, runs contrary to international and to current thinking and belief everywhere in the world."
He also maintained that such remarks was "an anachronism, it's completely out of date and what he's doing is very wrong."
Also, a former Minster of Petroleum, Professor Tam David-West faulted Babangida for making such statements just as he said "it is very wrong for him to say so as an envoy."
According to him, "As an envoy, he is a messenger and does not have special opinion. He is there to represent the country and Yar'Adua who sent him. It is very wrong for him to have said so without informing Yar'Adua about the situation in Guinea."
West, however wondered "why should he make a statement like of his own when he is a messenger," just as he IBB's remarks as "gross indiscipline."
On his part, immediate past governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu said "a democratically committed individual will not support any coup."
Besides, he explained that "democracy is what we desire because it brings rule of law and all factors of development. Showing support for any military coup is against democracy, no matter how benevolent."
Also speaking to Vanguard, a presidential candidate, who conducted elections on the platform of the African Democratic Congress, Professor, Pat Utomi said "it is not unusual when we have situations of this nature."
Lending his voice on the issue, Utomi explained that "it is not unusual that you can have disagreement on foreign policies in a country. In the United States of America, it was part of the problems Colin Powell had as Secretary of State and discussion is still on whether Senator Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State would have the support of the White House or she would stand alone on taking decisions on foreign policies."
So, it is not unusual when we have situations of this nature.
Accordingly, he explained that "in this case, Nigeria as a country has not developed a solid foreign policy, but according to the European Union (EU), they do not recognise any country where coup is being staged for anybody to come to power. My belief is that, Ojo Maduekwe is following the doctrine of EU."
Besides, he pointed out that "in the last ten years, the country has been waiting for President Lansana Conte of Guinea to die, after his death, the heartless soldiers seized power. For somebody like President Wade of Senegal, he might say the young ones have taken over power to reposition the country."
"But then, I do not have a personal view on this, but I do not know where Babangida conceived his won idea from, but the European Union's position does not recognise such countries.
It is not unusual for such disagreement to happen on foreign policies, but then, the questions that comes to mind is whether IBB is a different person having staged a coup in this country,"he told Vanguard.
But President of Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, AYCF, Alhaji Yerima Shettima aligned with IBB's view on the situation in Guinea, saying that Ojo Maduakwe can only speak for Nigeria as the whole world witnessed the jubilation that followed the coup in Guinea.
According to him, "Ojo Maduekwe cannot speak for Guinea. Some of us are abreast of happenings in the country since the coup. There was support by the people because they had suffered serious deprivation in the hand of the late president. In fact, the people were yearning for change and when it came through the coup, they embraced it.
It will be recalled that Captain Moussa Camara took over power in Guinea after the death of President Conte last month.
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