US embassy cable - 03ABUJA1636

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 001636 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, NI 
SUBJECT: IBB'S DAUGHTER WEDS; THE NATION TURNS OUT 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY COUNSELOR JAMES MAXSTADT FOR REASON 1.5 (D) 
 
 
1. (U) The thirty-three year old daughter of former Nigerian 
head of state Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) tied the knot on 
September 6 with Bashir Lado Garba, a nephew of the deceased 
former head of state Gen. Sani Abacha who had driven IBB from 
office.  Abacha's eldest surviving son, Mohammed, was best 
man at the event which attracted virtually everyone currently 
or previously involved with Nigerian politics.  An Embassy 
poloff attended too. 
 
 
2. (U)  Wedding-related events took place in Abuja and Kano 
as well as IBB's home in Minna, Niger State.  In Minna, over 
20,000 guests made the trip for the wedding itself.  With two 
exceptions, all former heads of state or their families were 
represented.  Shehu Shagari, the elected president who was 
removed from office in 1983, and Muhammadu Buhari, the 
general who deposed Shagari and who is still fighting the 
widely disputed 2003 election, did not attend.  Other guests 
included virtually all former flag officers of the Nigerian 
armed forces, 31 sitting governors, 64 senators, 70 
representatives, current and past ministers and permanent 
secretaries, the President's wife, the Vice President and 
 
SIPDIS 
numerous former politicians.  The inclusion of two of MKO 
Abiola's wives at the head table along with IBB, who annulled 
Abiola's election in 1993, and Mohammed Abacha, whose father 
then forced IBB out of power, highlighted the attempt of 
presenting an image of reconciliation.  Complicated stuff, 
and the machinations for the 2007 race for president were 
unmistakable. 
 
 
3. (C) During the wedding reception, Mohammed Abacha tried to 
address the crowd.  Claiming his right as the best man, he 
approached the microphone.  Former head of state General 
Abdulsalami Abubakar, along with several other elders at the 
head table, advised him that this occasion was not for "small 
boys." 
 
 
4. (U) Amid the speculation about IBB's planned 2007 run for 
the Presidency, posters appeared throughout Minna touting 
Abia Governor Orji Kalu.  While the press reported "Kalu for 
President 2007" posters, they were actually leftovers from 
his aborted 2003 run for the top spot in Nigeria. 
 
 
5. (C) COMMENT:  The crowd was overwhelming and the arduous 
task of hiking up to two kilometers up the hill to IBB's 
residence was too much for some retired generals and civil 
servants.  The Vice President, one of IBB's expected 2007 
challengers, made the hike -- unusual exertion in a country 
which values the perquisites of office highly.  The aura 
surrounding IBB continues among Nigeria's elite, fueled in no 
small part by the wealth he carted away on leaving the helm 
of the nation.  But while the elite were enjoying his 
hospitality, the rest of the town remained nonplussed by the 
commotion, continuing the daily task of eking out a living 
undistracted by the pomp. 
MEECE