Kayode Fayemi, the Governor of Ekiti State, is under attack on social media for calling General Ibrahim Babangida, a former military President, a patriotic leader.

On Tuesday, Fayemi joined other notable Nigerians to pay tribute to Babangida on his 80th birthday.

“I join the rest of the country to celebrate former head of state and elder statesman, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd), on his 80th birthday,” he wrote on his verified Facebook page.

“Gen. Babangida has demonstrated his patriotism, dedication and commitment to the Nigeria project as a soldier and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.”

The comments spawned an outburst of anger on social media, with many Facebook users berating him for betraying his pro-democracy roots.

As a pro-democracy activist, Fayemi had joined a broad coalition of  Nigerian democrats who repeatedly called on the military government of Sani Abacha to step down in favour of the winner of the June 12 1993 election.

Meanwhile, as a military President, Babangida, without any democratic justification, annulled the 1993 general election that produced MKO Abiola as the winner.

However, critics on social media wondered how a former pro-democracy advocate would be celebrating the patriotism of a man who annulled Nigeria’s freest and fairest election.

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“It is so sad to think that Kayode Fayemi was a member of the pro-democracy movement,” said Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist and pro-democracy campaigner. “He was one of the people masquerading as democracy ‘fighters’ living abroad while Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida smothered the future of Nigeria by annulling the June 12 presidential election in 1993.”

Sowore reckoned that Fayemi and others were probably working for Babangida “while we as students and youths in Nigeria were moving from prison to prison”.

Adedamola Babatunde, a Facebook user, censured the Governor for committing “a glaring blunder” by referring to Babangida as “a statesman”.

“There is absolutely nothing worth celebrating about IBB. He’s not worthy of such a noble title of a statesman you’ve just ascribe to him,” Babatunde said. “IBB is the bedrock of every rot and decadence in Nigeria governance and economic system.”

She prayed that “Babangida and his generations get abundance rewards for what he did to this blessed nation here on earth and hereafter”.

Emmanuel Ilori, another user, wrote: “I am short of words that this is comimg from Kayode Fayemi. How I wish that Chief MKO Abiola, Senator Abraham Adesanya, Kudirat Abiola, Gani Fawehinmi and a host of other pro-democracy voices and activists were alive today to see your scripts and accolades displayed on IBB on his 80th birthday. Ile aye.”

Another, FiFi Oladare, said: “This is so reprehensible! So IBB is now a man of dedication and patriotism to you? The man who singlehandedly destroyed the fairest Nigerian election? This is a devious and evasive doublespeak and only portrays your excellency as a run-of-the-mill politician just like the rest of our clueless politicians.

“Babangida is the one who has contributed the most to Nigeria’s destruction and ruin. Beatifying him is a slap on the face of MKO.
This sycophancy of yours to Northern hegemony is becoming unbecoming.”