Almost 32 years after former military head of state Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (Rtd) annulled the June 12, 1993 presidential election, the former President has admitted that the presumed winner of that election, Chief Moshood Abiola indeed won the election.
IBB on Thursday admitted, for the first time, that MKO Abiola won the 1993 Presidential election, annuled by his administration during the launch of his autobiography in Abuja.
This revelation by IBB in his book is both historic and significant as he was the Chief protagonist in the entire June 12 saga alongside others in the background such as late maximum ruler, Gen. Sani Abacha. IBB’s admission has finally laid to rest the controversy over who won the election because then administration of Gen. Babangida declared the election inclusive and cancelled the entire results before final collation could be concluded.
The June 12, 1993 election has been adjudged since then as Nigeria’s freest and most transparent election ever. The annulment threw Nigeria into a protracted and bloody political crises and claiming the lives of some of the major political actors at that time including Chief MKO Abiola himself and his wife Chief Mrs. Kudirat Abiola.
IBB’s autobiography titled, ”A journey in Service” was reviewed by Nigeria’s former Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and was the one who revealed that the former President admitted in the book that Abiola won the election, having scored majority votes and secured a wider spread, winning 2/3 majority in more states of the federation.
In the book, IBB revealed that while MKO Abiola scored over eight million votes, his closest challenger Bashir Tofa from Kano got around Five million votes.
IBB regrets decision to annul June 12 election
Prof. Osinbajo went on to say that Babangida noted in the book that even though he initially did not accept that Abiola won the election, upon a “deeper reflection”, it later became clear that Abiola won the election.
The former military head of state however confessed in the book according to Osinbajo that he regrets the decision saying, ”If I have the opportunity to do the same again, I will do things differently”.