Thirty-two years after annulling the June 12, 1993, presidential election, former Military President General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd) has finally admitted that the late Chief Moshood Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) won the election.
This is as the man popularly called IBB described the annulment as the most difficult decision of his life and accepted full responsibility for the annulment as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief.
In his newly launched autobiography, ‘A Journey in Service,’ unveiled in Abuja on Thursday, Babangida revealed that the election annulment was orchestrated by forces within his administration, led by the late General Sani Abacha, who was then Chief of Army Staff and later Minister of Defence, noting that the Military underestimated the consequences of its actions.
Babangida acknowledged that Chief Abiola met all the constitutional requirements to be declared President, saying; “Upon closer examination of the original collated figures from the 110,000 polling booths nationwide, it was clear that Abiola satisfied the constitutional requirements, having obtained 8,128,720 votes against Tofa’s 5,848,247 votes and securing the mandatory one-third of votes cast in 28 states, including Abuja.”
Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who reviewed the book at the event, quoted General Babangida as saying that Abiola, who contested on the platform of the Social Democratic Party, met all constitutional requirements, including securing the majority of votes and the necessary geographical spread, to be declared president.
“There was no doubt in my mind MKO Abiola won the election. He satisfied all the requirements”, the former military ruler said while noting also that the election annulment remained a defining moment in his career.
However, he claimed to have taken solace in the fact that former President Muhammadu Buhari posthumously decorated Abiola with the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) honour, a recognition reserved only for Nigerian presidents.
Offering insights into key moments in the country’s history, the book also addresses other national controversies, including the 1976 coup attempt that led to the assassination of then-Head of State, Murtala Muhammed, and the 1986 letter bomb that killed investigative journalist, Dele Giwa.
Reflecting on his decision to annul the June 12 election, widely regarded as the most credible in the country’s history, Babangida said if another opportunity presented itself, the situation would have been handled differently.
He stated that the results were annulled due to concerns over national security, revealing that powerful forces within the military were so opposed to an Abiola presidency that he feared Abiola would be assassinated if he became president.
“I was convinced that if he became President, he would be quickly eliminated by the same forces who pretended to be his friends. Having experienced a civil war, I was not ready to see another one”, the ex-military president said.
Further describing the annulment as a “shocking and regrettable” event in Nigeria’s history, IBB disclosed that the June 23, 1993, announcement was made without his authorization while he was in Katsina, condoling with the Yar’Adua family.
He said; “I was alarmed and horrified when I learned that Admiral Aikhomu’s press secretary, Nduka Irabor, had read a poorly worded statement annulling the election—without the presidential seal or official government letterhead.”
According to him, he was outflanked by Abacha and other powerful figures in his administration who were determined to prevent Abiola from assuming office, adding; “It was painful to later discover that, apart from Abacha, some of my closest colleagues, including a Lieutenant General, were deeply involved in the plot to eliminate me.”
Also claiming to have reached out to Abiola through traditional leaders to find a solution and even offered him an interim position, which Abiola rejected, the Army General said; “Understandably, Abiola refused. He believed he had legitimately won and saw no reason to accept an interim arrangement.”
He lamented that Abacha’s ambitions and internal divisions within the military eventually led to his forced resignation and Abacha’s eventual coup later in 1993, even as the election annulment caused national turmoil, triggering protests, international condemnation, and years of political instability.
“As the leader of the administration, I take full responsibility. The June 12 saga remains the most challenging and painful moment of my life”, he said
But despite accepting responsibility, IBB insisted that his actions were driven by a desire to prevent national disintegration and a military bloodbath arising from an “undoubtedly credible, free and fair elections were held in June, on June 12, 1993.
“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.
“That accident of history is most regrettable. The nation is entitled to expect my impression of regret. As a leader of the military administration, I accept full responsibility for all decisions taken under my watch.”
“And June 12 happened under my watch, mistakes, oversights, and missteps happened in quick succession, but I say in my book, in all matters, we acted in the supreme national interest so that Nigeria could survive”, he maintained.
