By Jane Okafor, Abuja
ABUJA: Barely 32 years after the annulment of June 12 presidential election judged to be freest and most credible election in Nigeria, the architect of the botched exercise, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida has come out to say Chief MKO Abiola won the election.
Abiola, a politician, business mogul and philanthropist, contested for the presidential election on the ticket of Social Democratic Party (SDP) and had Alhaji Babagana Kingibe as his running mate but midway into the announcement of the results by the electoral umpire at the time, Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, Babangida annulled it.
He also claimed Abiola may not have won the election against Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Congress(NRC).
However, at the launch of his autobiography, “A Journey in Service,” in Abuja on Thursday, Babangida accepted full responsibility for the cancellation, acknowledging that mistakes were made on his watch.
Eminent Nigerians, including President Bola Tinubu; ex-presidents Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; former Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo; a former Head of State Yakubu Gowon; Abdulsalami Abubakar among others were present at the book launch.
Babangida also reversed himself and declared that Abiola won the election based on evidence from collated election results.
“Although I am on record to have stated after the election that Abiola may not have won the election, upon further 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 12 elections,” Babangida admitted in his book.
He, however, has publicly expressed regret over the annulment of the election.
He said: “I regret June 12. I accept full responsibility for the decisions taken and June 12 happened under my watch. Mistakes, missteps happened in quick successions.”
Babangida’s autobiography also sheds light on the events surrounding the annulment.
According to Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who reviewed the book, Babangida stated that he was happy with ex-President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to acknowledge Abiola’s victory and honor him with the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic title.
Osinbajo said: “He (IBB) also answers the question whether Abiola actually won the June 12 election, and I quote him, ‘although I am on record to have stated after the election that Abiola may not have won the election, 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 12 elections.”
