“I Don’t Even Know If I Will Make It to 85” - Sowore Replies Datti Baba-Ahmed

African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has responded to Datti Baba-Ahmed’s criticism of his comments on former military ruler Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, saying he does not even know whether he will live to the age of 85.

Sowore made the remarks in a lengthy response to Datti after the former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate criticised his comments on Babangida, who recently marked his 85th birthday.

Sowore said his criticism of Babangida was not motivated by the former military ruler’s age, but by his record in power and the consequences of decisions taken during his administration.

“I do not even know if I will make it to 85,” Sowore said.

He, however, said that wherever he might be at that age, Nigerians would have every right to examine what he did with whatever power or influence he possessed.

According to him, reaching old age should not shield any public official from scrutiny over their past actions.

“If I betray the democratic will of Nigerians, they should say so. If I impoverish people through disastrous policies, they should say so. If I violate their rights, they should say so. If I leave behind institutions weaker than I found them, history should record it,” he said.

Sowore said the same standard he was applying to Babangida should also apply to him or any other Nigerian who eventually exercises political power.

He maintained that his position was not about wishing Babangida ill health, stressing that he did not wish illness on the former military ruler.

“I wish no illness upon Ibrahim Babangida, but I will not participate in rewriting his record simply because he has grown old,” Sowore said.

The AAC candidate argued that age does not erase history or the consequences of decisions taken while someone was in a position of enormous power.

He also rejected the idea that compassion for an elderly person should require Nigerians to overlook controversial aspects of their political record.

“Growing old is a privilege. It is not immunity from history,” Sowore said.

Sowore further argued that if he were to reach 85, Nigerians should not be expected to praise him simply because of his age. Instead, they should examine the impact of his actions and decisions.

He said that if he betrayed Nigerians, violated their rights, impoverished citizens through bad policies or weakened institutions, such actions should remain part of his historical record.

His comments were part of a broader response to Datti Baba-Ahmed, in which Sowore defended his criticism of Babangida and rejected what he described as attempts to rewrite the history of Nigeria’s military era.

Sowore particularly referenced the June 12, 1993 presidential election, arguing that Nigerians have a right to remember the annulment of the election and other events associated with Babangida’s time in power. Babangida ruled Nigeria from 1985 to 1993 and remains a controversial figure in the country’s political history. 

Sowore said his position was ultimately about accountability rather than hatred, insisting that Nigerians should be free to interrogate the records of those who have exercised power over the country.

He also criticised what he described as a political culture in which powerful figures are treated with excessive reverence, arguing that public office should never place individuals beyond scrutiny.

The exchange between Sowore and Datti follows a wider debate over how Nigerians should remember Babangida at 85, with political figures and members of the public expressing sharply different views about his legacy. 

For Sowore, however, the passage of time should not erase the responsibility of leaders to answer for the consequences of their decisions.

“History should record it,” he said, stressing that the same principle should apply to him if he ever becomes a holder of public power.