Osamagbe Imadiyi
At the launch of his autobiography, “A Journey in Service,” yesterday, President Bola Tinubu, along with former presidents, military leaders, and industry captains led by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, took turns praising former military president General Ibrahim Babangida, demonstrating the hero worship that was evident. Additionally, his presidential library was launched during the event.
The event’s venue, the Transcorp Hotel in Abuja, was transformed into a kind of Mecca as the man himself provided additional insight into the June 12, 1993, presidential election that was canceled. Former President Goodluck Jonathan, former heads of state Generals Yakubu Gowon and Abdulsalam Abubakar, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who served as the event’s chairman, were among the dignitaries present.
Meanwhile, General Babangida claimed that he annulled the June 12, 1993, presidential election because he was concerned that the late Chief MKO Abiola, the victor, might be assassinated and the country would be plunged into yet another preventable civil war.
General Babangida stated that Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) defeated Alhaji Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC) and won the election. He also claimed responsibility for the annulment of what was regarded as the most free and fair presidential election in Nigerian history.
IBB asserted, however, that forces within his administration, headed by the late General Sani Abacha, who served as his Chief of Army Staff and later as his Minister of Defense, were responsible for the election’s annulment. He added that the military understated the repercussions of the action and that, as commander-in-chief and head of state, he had accepted full responsibility for whatever occurred.
Babangida acknowledged that Chief Abiola had won the election in his autobiography, “A Journey in Service,” which was released yesterday in Abuja. Babangida described how the announcement that declared the election void caught him off guard.
He called the annulment a “shocking and regrettable moment in Nigeria’s history,” adding, “I accept full responsibility as President and Commander-in-Chief for the mistakes that were made in the handling of the June 12 elections and their aftermath. One of my greatest errors was not getting my military colleagues to fully support and commit to the Transition program right away.
