From Victor Osula, Abuja
Former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd), has publicly admitted that the late Chief Moshood Abiola won the June 12, 1993, presidential election conducted under his administration and expressed regrets over the annulment of the poll.
Babangida’s revelation is contained in his autobiography, A Journey in Service: An Autobiography, which was unveiled in Abuja on Thursday.
The book launch, held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, had in attendance prominent dignitaries, including President Bola Tinubu; former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who chaired the event; former President Goodluck Jonathan, Heads of State, General Yakubu Gowon and General Abdulsalami Abubakar; as well as former Vice Presidents Atiku Abubakar and Namadi Sambo, among others.
Providing insights into the book, the reviewer, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, disclosed that Babangida acknowledged that Abiola, who contested the presidential election on the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party, secured both the majority of votes and the required geographical spread to be declared president.
According to Osinbajo, Babangida admitted that annulling the June 12 election was one of the most difficult decisions of his career.
He stated, “He (Babangida) also answers the question of whether Abiola actually won the June 12 election, and I quote him, ‘Although I am on record to have stated after the election that Abiola may not have won, upon deeper reflection and a closer examination of all available facts—particularly the detailed election results, which are published as an appendix to this book—there is no doubt that MKO Abiola won the June 12 election.”
Osinbajo added a sense of irony
“When Babangida annulled the 1993 elections and Abacha took over, dissolving the Senate, that senator tried to reconstitute the Senate in resistance to the dissolution. He was detained, faced charges in court, and escaped into exile. Today, he is also here to celebrate with his former tormentors as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
In his own words during his address, IBB, added;
“However, the tragic irony of history remains that the administration that devised a near-perfect electoral system and conducted those near-perfect elections could not complete the process.
Despite the controversial annulment, Babangida expressed satisfaction that former President Muhammadu Buhari posthumously recognized Abiola as the rightful winner of the election by bestowing upon him the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR), Nigeria’s highest national honour, reserved exclusively for presidents.
