Babangida’s Belated Barbiturate

When the story broke last week, many people downplayed it saying, “Medicine after death!” At the launch of his autobiography in Abuja on Thursday, February 20, 2025, former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, finally acknowledged that the late Chief Moshood Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) won the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election. This is well known to many people. The only difference is that the information came from the man at the centre of the annulment at the time. The question is, why now? Was his intention to exonerate himself when most of the major characters in the saga are all gone? Or to give us a kind of a powerful drug that will make us feel calm (barbiturate) and forget the sorrows of June 12?

This is not certain yet. What is clear is that June 12 was a nightmare to many Nigerians. It was supposed to be a celebration cum liberation day. It was a day the majority of Nigerians threw away ethnic, sectional and religious sentiments to elect Abiola and his running mate, Babagana Kingibe, as their President and Vice-President respectively on a Muslim/Muslim ticket. Expectations were high that they would take us to the next level of development. Alas, that was not to be. Before we could put on our dancing shoes, the military did the worst by cancelling the election. Babangida said then that he took the action to save the nation.

This gave rise to protests by different individuals and groups like the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO). People ran back to their home states from the cities in what the Igbo called, ‘Oso Abiola’ (running for Abiola).

The agitation to reclaim Abiola’s mandate led to the killing of many pro-democracy activists and other Nigerians including Abiola’s wife, Kudirat, and the imprisonment of some prominent Nigerians. On August 27, 1993, Babangida was forced to leave office. He handed over to Ernest Shonekan as Head of the Interim National Government. General Sani Abacha shoved Shonekan aside on November 17, 1993 and took over power. Abiola was arrested and detained when he declared himself President in 1994. Abacha died on June 8, 1998 while Abiola died in detention on July 7, 1998 under controversial circumstances. Following Abacha’s death, General Abdulsalami Abubakar took over and conducted elections which saw Chief Olusegun Obasanjo winning and taking over as civilian President on May 29, 1999.

There have been efforts to mitigate the trauma that emanated from this crisis one way or the other. In 2019, the Federal Government under former President Muhammadu Buhari declared June 12 our national democracy day instead of May 29 that it used to be. Buhari also conferred on Abiola the highest national honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR). We had moved on and tried to put the June 12 episode in our strides.

But Babangida has scratched a wound that is yet to fully heal. In the 12th chapter of his newly launched autobiography titled, ‘A Journey In Service’, IBB, as his admirers fondly call him, said though he had said after the election that Abiola might not have won the election, upon deeper reflection and a closer examination of all the available facts, “there was no doubt that MKO Abiola won the June 12 election.” He claimed he was in Katsina on June 23, 1993 when the annulment was suddenly announced without his authority. “I remember saying: ‘These nefarious ‘inside’ forces opposed to the elections have outflanked me!’ I would later find out that the ‘forces’, led by General Abacha, annulled the elections. There and then, I knew I was caught between ‘a devil and the deep blue sea’.” he noted.

“Undoubtedly, credible, free and fair elections were held on June 12, 1993. However, the tragic irony of history remains that the administration that devised a near-perfect electoral system and conducted those near-perfect elections could not complete the process. That accident of history is most regrettable. The nation is entitled to expect my impression of regret,” Babangida added.

This is a cock and bull story. As the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, what did he do when the so-called inside forces led by Abacha announced the annulment without consulting him? Or was Abacha, who was his Chief of Defence Staff, more powerful than him?

Abacha is late and cannot defend himself. Vice-Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, whose press secretary reportedly read a terse statement annulling the election, is late. Professor Humphrey Nwosu, who was the Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) at the time, is late. And so are many other dramatis personae involved in the annulled election. So, Babangida can afford to make any claim without a serious challenge from the insiders then. And that is one problem with autobiographies. The author presents historical events to suit his interests. It gives room for manipulation of facts and twisting of history.

Accounts of the first military coup and Nigerian civil war are a typical example. After the war, different writers presented what transpired during the war. Of course, in their own perspectives and bias. In this circumstance, it is difficult to decipher who is saying the truth and who is not.

One good thing the launching of the book has done for Babangida is that it has fetched some good money for him. Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, donated N8 billion to the IBB Presidential Library. This is to be paid at N2 billion annually over the four years allocated for the completion of the project. The Chairman of the BUA Group, Abdulsamad Rabiu, pledged N5 billion for the library project. Prince Arthur Eze, who said the former military ruler was his benefactor, gave N500 million. About N17 billion was reportedly generated for the project. Talk of misplacement of priorities!   

Beyond the book launch and the photo opportunity for many of our past and present leaders, have we learnt any lesson from June 12? Ironically, President Bola Tinubu was in the forefront of those who fought for the realization of June 12 mandate. He contested the presidential election with Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party and others in 2023. He is on record to have said that power is not given a la carte. You grab it and run with it. In 1993, Abiola won the presidential election, but the military pushed him aside and snatched power from him.

In 2023, it appeared the wishes of the people were annulled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the judiciary. The electoral umpire announced questionable results and asked aggrieved parties to go to court. The courts presented us with some abracadabra in the name of judgement. This put question marks on their integrity. It has left us with no option but to continue to search for an upright, accountable and effective leader who can salvage the country from the myriads of problems besetting it.

Nigeria has become a theatre of the absurd where the more people complain about bad leadership, the more they are infested with one. Next year, campaign for 2027 general election will commence. You will hear all sorts of promises. At the end of the day, we will go back to square one.

We miss Abiola greatly. Had he been allowed to rule the country as wished by the majority of Nigerians, perhaps, our situation may have changed by now. Power grabbers deferred the destiny of Nigeria by stopping him. This is hoping that in the near future, someone won’t emerge to tell us that Peter Obi won the 2023 election but that he was prevailed upon to announce otherwise. We still have a long way to go. And until we are able to institute a clear and credible electoral process, we will continue to have June 12 scenario in our hands. May our leaders find courage to initiate genuine electoral and political reforms that will engender free and fair elections in Nigeria!       

Re: Nigeria’s fight against corruption

Casmir, no country whose leaders contemplate declaring their assets after almost 2 years in office will be taken seriously in this phoney fight against corruption. Rather than fight corruption, Nigerian leaders are busy promoting, romancing and enjoying corruption! Genuine fight against corruption will start when the president, VP, senate president and his deputy, governors and their deputies etc declare their assets pre coming into office and post their 1st & 2nd terms in office. Anything short of this is a charade, hypocritical, deceitful and unacceptable. The head must live by example for others to follow. If the head of a fish is rotten, the fate of the body is an easy guess. When we improve as a country, nobody will tell us. We know ourselves. We are still who and what we are – very corrupt. How do we improve when poverty and greed are tied to corrupt activities. Our GDP per capita income is less than $900. Our police officers still say “na documents I go chop”. ‘Connection’ in high places is still the way to get ‘good jobs’. Our political offices are for the highest bidders! This is a major reason why incompetence reigns supreme and is presently ‘killing’ Nigerians more than terrorists. But leaders and followers must exercise restraint, because, “there is a way (the path of corruption) that seemeth right, but the end thereof is destruction”- so sayeth the scriptures. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Nigeria must go and will ‘go forward’ IJN. Amen.

-Mike, Mushin, 0816 111 4572

Casy, I congratulate you on being a member of the Monitoring and Evaluation committee of National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS). Many a Nigerian won’t be excited with such appointment because it doesn’t look like an appointment to ‘chop’ money. But you chose to contribute your quota to ameliorate corruption in Nigeria. Kudos! Having said that, corruption is obviously becoming a monster under civilian rule rather than abating. Corruption is far higher now in Nigeria than under the military due to the volume of political offices in civilian rule. Under the military, we had just the sole administrators, commissioners and maybe LGAs chairmen. Under the military, commissioners were revered and powerful because they were fewer. But, now, the higher number of political appointees including thousands of aides to even ‘ordinary councillors’ worsens the fight against corruption. An aide to a councillor also answers ‘Hon’ and sees his/her appointment as an opportunity to ‘hammer’. Nonetheless, civilian rule seems preferable. We’ll get it right someday.

-Ifeanyi Maduako, Owerri, 0806 156 2735