Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), the former military president of Nigeria, has acknowledged that Moshood Abiola, also known as MKO, was the rightful winner of the presidential election held on June 12, 1993.
Gatekeepers News reports that this admission was made during the launch of IBB’s autobiography, titled ‘A Journey In Service’, in Abuja.
IBB’s annulment of the election triggered widespread protests and unrest across the country. In his 420-page book, he dedicated a section to the transition from military rule to democracy and specifically addressed the events surrounding the June 12 saga.
During the review of the autobiography, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo highlighted a portion that discusses the circumstances of the election and its subsequent annulment. Osinbajo quoted IBB, who noted that despite previously questioning Abiola’s electoral victory, deeper reflection has led him to recognize Abiola as the legitimate winner of the election.
“Although I’m on record to have admitted after the election that Abiola may have not won the election, upon deeper reflections, and a close examination of all available facts, particularly, the detailed election results which I published as an appendix to this book,” Osinbajo read a section of the book.
“There was no doubt that MKO Abiola won the June 12 election. Upon closer examination of the original collated figures from the 110 polling booths in the country, it was clear that he satisfied the two main constitutional requirements for winning the presidential election; mainly the majority votes and the geographical spread, having obtained 8,128,720 votes against Tofa’s 5,84,8247 votes and securing the mandatory one-third of the vote cast in 28 states of the federation, including Abuja.”
IBB added that he was pleased when “the Buhari administration finally recognised Abiola as a former head of state of Nigeria”.
“Looking back now, the June 12 saga was undoubtedly the most challenging moment of my life and in certain respects, one of the most painful. If I had to do it all over again, I would do it differently,” he added.
