By Pascal Ibe

Introduction

The campaigns for the 2027 general elections officially commenced on Wednesday with candidates’ supporters bringing onboard ideas as well as propaganda to sell their favourite candidates.

Although, the campaigns officially kicked off yesterday, political parties and their candidates are yet to set out their schedules for the rallies. However, endorsements and alignments from former presidents and Heads of State have continued.

President Bola Tinubu is seeking re-election to complete another four-year term in office. While former Vice President Atiku Abubakar will be looking to get the final shot at the presidency.

For Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, who became famous in 2023,  would be looking to take a second shot at the presidency.

Claim

A video of a former military Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, fondly called IBB, has surfaced online alongside a caption which suggested he has endorsed Peter Obi for 2027.

An X user, @eluvkki, posted the one-minute video of Babangida in an interview with Arise News alongside his caption claiming that the ex-military leader said, “Peter Obi didn’t just show up  He’s an idea whose time has come.  IBB at 80 saw the future and said it.”

The post generated mixed reactions on the X platform from the people who commented.

While some Nigerians believed that Babangida talked about Obi in the clip, others dismissed the claim.

This claim also appeared here.

Verification

First, FACTWATCH Nigeria watched the one-minute clip from beginning to end and did not see anywhere he mentioned or endorsed Obi in the interview.

Part of what he said in the video: “I have started visualising a good Nigerian leader. A person who travels in this country and has a friend virtually everywhere he travels to,” he said.

“He knows at least one person he can communicate with. A person who is very fast in economic matters. And then, a good politician who should be able to talk to Nigerians and so on. I have seen one or two or three already. They are in their 60s. I believe the person should emerge in 2023 if we can get him.”

The former military leader did not in any way mention their names as ineligible for the nation’s number one seat; he, however, suggested that individuals in their 60s should be the focus of Nigerians.

This exact comment from Babangida in the video is an indicator that the claim suggesting that he endorsed Obi is FALSE.

We also discovered that Babangida granted the interview in 2021 when he was 80 years old.

Arise News and other news organisations published the story here, here and here.

Peter Obi celebrated his 60th birthday on 19 July 2021. However, Babangida did not mention or endorse anyone in the 2021 interview.

Lastly, the caption that the X user, @Elickki, attributed to the former military leader did not match what he said in the video.

Verdict

Babangida commented on leaders in their 60s whom he believes can make good Nigerian presidents; however, he did not specifically talk about Obi in the interview.

Therefore, the caption attributed to Babangida by the X user is FALSE.