June 12 Presidential Election: “Thanks For Your Courage To admit Abiola’s  Victory” – Tinubu To IBB

By Gideon Njoku

President Bola Tinubu has thanked, profusely, former Nigeria’s Military President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), for the courage he exhibited by setting the records straight on the winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential Election. For the first time in 32 years, it was admitted by the man who should know that Chief Moshood Abiola won that election.

The winner of the election conducted by the Babangida regime  has been a guarded, but open secret.

The contest was between business mogul and philanthropist, Chief Abiola, popular as MKO, of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, and that of the National Republican Convention, NRC, Bashir Tofa.

The election, applauded by Nigerians, and adjudged as Nigeria’s freest and fairest election was, in the eyes of Nigerians, the law and the Constitution, won by Abiola.

Results from most States had been declared and Abiola was in a very clear lead, including defeating Tofa in his native State of Kano. But, just as the Chairman of the Electoral Body, Professor Humphrey Nwosu was set to declare the final result and announce the winner, the Military Regime, headed by Babangida, stopped him, and later canceled the election.

That action threw Nigeria into turmoil; denied IBB a heroic exit after years in office (August 1985-August 1993); forced him to step aside; imposed maximum leader, General Sani Abacha on Nigerians; forced Abiola into a brief exile, and, on return, declared himself President, but was arrested by Abacha; locked up for years, hauled before the Court and faced sundry charges including treasonable felony.

Sadly, on Abacha’s death, and when most people looked forward to Abiola’s release from detention for a kind of arrangement with the Military Regime headed by General Abdulsalmi Abubakar, Abiola died in still controversial circumstances.

Since Abiola’s death, the clamor has been on to declare the result of that election and declare its winner. But no Nigerian President  has had the courage to do that.  The closest Nigerians got was during the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari which bestowed Nigeria’s highest National Honour reserved for only Presidents, Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, GCFR, on Abiola, and declared June 12 Democracy Day, marked by public holiday. But all pressures to declare the June 12 result and announce Abiola winner were shunned.

The situation was not helped by the refusal of the man  – IBB – who canceled the election, to set the record straight. Instead, he kept dancing around it.

But on February 20, at the presentation of his memoirs – A Journey In Service”  – Babangida finally set the record straight.

He let it be known that MKO Abiola won the June 12  1993, Presidential Election; that he had the numbers, the spread, and met all constitutional requirements.

Even though most Nigerians knew all along that Abiola won, IBB’s declaration still shocked them even as it put a stamp of authenticity on Abiola’s victory..

Present at the occasion was President Tinubu who, himself, was forced into exile, from where he continued, along with others, to fight for the declaration of Abiola as President.

Responding to IBB’s revelation, Tinubu, who was the Special Guest of Honour, thanked IBB for his courage in acknowledging Abiola’s victory 32 years after Abiola won that election and died fighting for the mandate freely given to him by Nigerians to be restored.

Babangida’s courage, Tinubu said, in admitting Abiola’s victory, will help set the records properly.

Tinubu: “I am glad about the revelations of June 12. My General, we will not forget to pray for you. I listened to you carefully. I am not here to read a speech. I am here to pay homage.

“Let me say thank you for everything, for who you are, and how you have contributed to the history of this great country.”

IBB’s admission of Abiola’s victory, is likely going to trigger anew a clamor for the release of the June, 12, 2023, Presidential Election and, perhaps, to close the chapter, the ultimate declaration of Abiola, as President – post humously.

Sadly the three men who were central to that election are all gone – Abiola, Tofa, Nwosu.