The hero-worshipping of former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, was in full display, yesterday when President Bola Tinubu leading former presidents and former military leaders and captains of industry led by Alhaji Aliko Dangote took turns to eulogise him at the launch of his autobiography, “A Journey in Service.”
The event also witnessed the launch of his presidential library.
The Transcorp Hotel, Abuja venue of the event was turned into a Mecca of sorts with the man himself finally shedding more light on the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Among the dignitaries at the event were former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was Chairman of the occasion, former heads of state, Generals Yakubu Gowon and Abdulsalam Abubakar, and former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Also in attendance were former Vice Presidents Atiku Abubakar, Namadi Sambo and Yemi Osinbajo, the presidential candidate of Labour Party in 2023 poll and former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi and the Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, and former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The keynote speaker was Nana Akufo-Addo, former President of Ghana and his counterpart, the former President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Koroma, also graced the occasion.
Governors, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, industrialists, technocrats and traditional rulers were equally in attendance.
General Babangida, meanwhile, said he annulled the June 12, 1993, presidential poll because he was afraid the winner, late Chief MKO Abiola, could be killed and the nation thrown into another avoidable civil war.
Revealing that Abiola of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, beat Alhaji Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention, NRC, and won the election, General Babangida also took responsibility for the annulment of the election considered the freest and fairest presidential poll in Nigeria’s history.
However, IBB claimed that the annulment of the election was orchestrated by forces in his administration led by late General Sani Abacha, his Chief of Army Staff and later Minister of Defence.
He also said that he had taken full responsibility for whatever happened because he was the head of state and commander-in-chief, adding that the military underestimated the consequences of the action.
In his autobiography, “A Journey in Service,” which was unveiled in Abuja, yesterday, Babangida, who admitted that Chief Abiola won the election, recounted how he was blindsided by the announcement that nullified it.
He wrote in the book: “Although I am on record to have stated after the elections that Abiola may not have won the elections, upon deeper reflection and a closer examination of all the available facts, particularly the detailed election results, which are published as an appendix to this volume, there was no doubt that MKO Abiola won the June 12 elections.
“Upon closer examination of the original collated figures from the 110,000 polling booths nationwide, it was clear that he satisfied the two main constitutional requirements for winning the presidential elections, mainly majority votes and geographical spread, having obtained 8,128,720 votes against Tofa’s 5,848,247 votes and securing the mandatory one-third of the votes cast in 28 states of the federation, including Abuja.
“Unfortunately, the forces gathered against him after the June 12 elections were so formidable that I was convinced that if he became President, he would be quickly eliminated by the same forces who pretended to be his friends.
“While I accept that the unfortunate denial of his mandate amounted to a subversion of the will of the Nigerian people, I was petrified that if Abiola got killed, it could lead to a civil war.
“Having participated in one civil war, with all its horrors, pains and devastation, I wasn’t prepared to see another.”
