IBB: He Wanted Nigeria To Start Over Again. He Was Overpowered By Ambition To Be President-Ayoade by Citynobs May 4, 2025, 5:07 am In a recent interview on the Edmund Obilo Podcast, renowned political analyst, Professor John Ayoade offered a striking perspective on the political maneuvers of former Nigerian military head, General Ibrahim Babangida. According to Prof. Ayoade, Babangida’s ambition to transition from a military ruler to a civilian president was the driving force behind the disruption of Nigeria’s democratic process in the early 1990s. “He was overpowered by his own ambition. He was overpowered by the ambition to be a president, to convert from a military to a civilian president,” Prof. Ayoade remarked during the interview. Babangida who ruled Nigeria from 1985 to 1993 initiated a complex transition programme intended to return the country to civilian rule, however, that process was marred by the repeated disqualification of presidential candidates and the annulment of elections most notably the historic June 12, 1993 presidential election widely believed to have been won by Moshood Kashimawo Abiola. Prof. Ayoade criticized the endless cycle of cancelled elections and barred contestants, suggesting that Babangida’s personal aspirations ultimately subverted the democratic transition he claimed to champion. “He went on to disqualify people who wanted to contest elections. He went on disqualifying elections which took place and wanted Nigeria to start all over again,” he stated. The interview reignites debate over the legacy of Babangida’s rule and the long-term impact of the failed transition programme. Many analysts argue that the annulment of the 1993 election set Nigeria’s democratic development back by several years, eventually leading to further military rule until 1999. Prof. Ayoade’s comments offer fresh insight into the motivations behind one of Nigeria’s most controversial political eras.
