*Photo: Late MKO Abiola*
Former military head of state, General Ibrahim Babangida(rtd) has finally admitted that the late Chief Moshood Abiola won the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
Babangida annulled the election just when the National Electoral Commission (NEC) was on the verge of declaring the final results in favour Abiola.
The national and global opposition to the annulment forced Babangida to hand over power to an Interim National Government (ING) headed by Chief Earnest Shonekan.
Agitation for de-annulment of Abiola’s victory did not abate despite the enthronement of the ING and another military general ,Sani Abacha(now late), staged a coup, declaring himself Head of State.
Abiola was in1994 arrested and detained in prison by the Abacha junta on charges of treason after declaring himself as the President of Nigeria. Abiola died in suspicious circumstances on 7 July 1998, the day he was due to be released from prison.
In Babangida’s autobiography
, ‘A Journey in Service’, launched in Abuja on Thursday, the former leader reveals that the late Abiola met all the requirements to claim victory, but was ultimately denied it.
Giving more insights about the book, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, while reviewing it, stated that Abiola, who ran on the Social Democratic Party (SDP) platform, secured both the majority vote and the required geographical spread to become president.
“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 was no doubt that MKO Abiola won the June 12th elections,” Osinbajo quoted Babangida as writing.
“Upon closer examination of the original collated figures, it was clear that he satisfied the two main constitutional requirements for winning the presidential elections, namely majority votes and geographical spread.
“Having obtained 8,128,720 votes against Tofa’s 5,848,247 votes, and securing the mandatory one-third of the votes cast in 28 states of the federation, including Abuja, I am gratified that the Buhari administration finally recognized him as a former head of state of Nigeria.”
“Looking back now, the June 12th saga was undeniably the most challenging moment of my life, and in certain respects, one of the most painful. And if I had to do it all over again, I would do it differently,” Babangida wrote.
Medicine after Death.
Great lessons to learn from this book.
I don’t pray to be the head of any government, because we are all going to give account in the Hereafter .
Good luck to those killing themselves over positions. I pity them!