The former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd), has openly admitted that the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola won the June 12, 1993 presidential election conducted by his government.
General Babangida’s public admission is contained in his autobiography titled “A Journey In Service”, which was launched in Abuja on Thursday.
Providing insights into the book, the reviewer, former Vice President Yemi Osibanjo, SAN, said General Babangida acknowledged that the late MKO Abiola, who contested the presidential election on the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), secured the majority of votes and the geographical spread to be the president.
Osinbajo said the autobiographer described the June 12 election annulment as the most challenging aspect of his life.
Osinbajo said: “He (Babangida) 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.”
He, however, said that he was happy that President Muhammadu Buhari later acknowledged that Abiola won the election and honoured him with the greatest national honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR), which is reserved for Presidents.
The event, which is still ongoing at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, was chaired by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and attended by President Bola Tinubu; former Heads of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon; Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar; former Vice Presidents Atiku Abubakar, and Arc. Namadi Sambo, among others.
