Pro-democracy groups have criticised a former military head of state, General Ibrahim Babaginda, over his claim that his regime annulled the June 12, 1993 general election to avoid a violent coup.
The election, which was keenly contested by the candidate of the Social Democratic Party, the late MKO Abiola; and the Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention, and said to have been won by Abiola, was adjudged as the most transparent election in Nigeria’s political history.
But the poll was declared a nullity by the military regime led by Babangida.
In honour of the late acclaimed winner of the election, President Muhammadu Buhari post humously honoured him with the highest national award of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic and announced June 12 as Democracy Day.
However, Babangida on Friday explained that allowing the 1993 presidential election would have led to a violent coup d’etat.
He also said he was under pressure from within and outside the military.
“If it materialised, there would’ve been a coup d’etat, which could have been violent. That’s all I can confirm. It didn’t happen, thanks to the engineering, the ‘Maradonic’ way we handled you guys in society.
“But that could have given room for more instability in the country. The military can do it because they have the weapon to do it; the other part of the society, agitation,” Babangida said during an interview with Arise TV on Friday.
But the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, described Babangida’s claim as an insult to Nigerians, adding that the former head of state lost the opportunity to become the hero of democracy in Nigeria after his “treasonable acts” of annulling the election.
In a statement by its Secretary-General, Mr Sola Ebiseni, titled, ‘That Babangida’s Interview: A Sour Taste in the Mouth,’ said, “Babangida has not said a new thing worthy of any reaction in respect of his treasonable acts of the annulment of the adjudged freest and fairest election in the country’s political history. Nigerians are not interested in any excuse now being given by IBB.
“It is even most preposterous that IBB, whose regime’s hands were stained with the blood of vibrant middle-level officers who were massacred in an obviously organised plane crash on suspicion of planning a coup, who headed a regime which killed his colleagues, including intellectuals like his friend, Maman Vatsa, on allegation of a phantom coup, would only now insult the intelligence of Nigerians that he annulled their mandate to forestall a violent coup, which, by reasonable inference, he was aware of.
“He lost the opportunity of being the hero of democracy and father of a new Nigeria, an eternal regret that no whitewashing on television can redeem.”
The pan-Yoruba group also accused the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) of making saints of previous administrations in every aspect of governance.
“The Buhari government has failed, even in the areas of his promises to Nigerians on security, economy, and anti-corruption. Nigeria has been rendered a failed State in its obvious inability to secure life and property.
“The Babangida administration cannot be accused of sectional and sectarian disposition which is the hallmark of the Buhari Government. Rather than indulging in comparing any government with the present, those who still have faith in the unity of Nigeria are only fervently praying and counting days for this evil cup to pass over,” it added.
Also reacting, a human rights activist and President, Women Arise and Centre for Change, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, said Babangida’s claim was only admissible in his imagination and the conscience of those who conspired with him to annul the election.
She said rather than blame his decision on pressure, he should honourably apologise for annulling the exercise through which Nigerians chose who they preferred as their president.
“The unrepentant posture of the former military dictator is not only insulting to the memories of the June 12 presidential election and its winner, Chief MKO Abiola, but also an assault to the sacrifices of those who paid the supreme price, in the struggle for the actualisation of the mandate. General Babangida’s claim is only admissible in his imagination and the conscience of those, who conspired with him, to nullify the election, not anyone who witnessed the election and fought for its actualisation, as the freest and fairest election in our country,” Okei-Odumakin said.
“He should be ashamed to still associate himself with the infamous codename of treachery, which was the hallmark of his reign as a military dictator. Like we’ve always insisted, the amount of pressure, irrespective of where they are coming from, should not have been enough to nullify the sovereign mandate of the Nigerian people, as expressed during the June 12 election. I also feel, that instead of these unending shameful justifications by IBB, he should honourably apologise for annulling the June 12 presidential election,”
On its part, a socio-political organisation under the aegis of Southern Nigeria Frontier faulted the reasons adduced by the ex-dictator, adding that despite the global acknowledgement the election won by Abiola as the freest and fairest in Nigerian history, “Babangida still lives in his lies of the past”.
In a statement by its spokesperson, Olufemi Lawson, titled, ‘June 12 will forever be your nemesis, Southern Nigeria Frontier slams IBB,’ it said, “We insist, that if there would have been any violence aftermath of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, it must have been one that would have been orchestrated by the evil genius himself, and not any right-thinking group of Nigerians, including the Nigerian military, which Babangida is using his old age to blackmail.
“While we concede that it is within the right of Babangida, to express himself through the media, we will not watch the unapologetic former military dictator continually insult the sensibilities of our people, especially the memory of those, who paid the ultimate price, for the actualisation of the June 12 mandate.”
Meanwhile, the former military leader said Nigeria would have to jettison the idea of zoning the office of the President to a particular region.
He also blamed the spate of insecurity on leadership, adding that against the belief of many Nigerians, the military was not overwhelmed by the security challenges but “maybe overstretched”.
While speaking on the clamour for power to shift to the South-East in the 2023 general elections, Babangida added, “We have to make a choice. We want to practise democracy the way it should be practised or the way it is being practised, or we define democracy in our own whims and caprices. If we are going to do it the way it is done all over the world, you allow the process to continue but it is through the process that you will be able to come up with a candidate that will lead the country; his qualifications, his beliefs should be known to Nigerian before somebody ever throws his name into the ring, regardless of where he comes from.”
The Middle Belt Forum faulted the reason given by the former military leader, adding that the election would have deepened Nigeria’s democracy.
The President of the forum, Dr Pogus Bitrus, said, “We do believe that for whatever reason, the annulment was not a good move and he should have allowed the process to continue to deepen our democracy. Some distortions in our polity, like the coups which took place later and earlier, are signs that up till today, people feel they shouldn’t have taken place.”
Also,the Publicity Secretary of the pan-Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Alex Ogboannaya, said, “That nullification created more problems, more insecurity and ever since then references to June 12 are still made against him.
“I leave him to judge whether he did the right thing or the wrong thing. As far as I am concerned, he started very well with a two-party system but unfortunately, he lost it in the end. There was no pressure; I don’t see a general being under pressure. When you say you are a general, it means you have the capacity to work under pressure.”
On his part, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) said the reason given by Bagangida would not erase the dreadful consequences of his act.
Ozekhome said, “He should give better reasons, please. But the coup still played out anyway through Abacha who overthrew the Shonekan interim government. IBB cannot justify the annulment of the Nigerian people’s expressed will through the popular ballot on the supposed fear of a military coup.
“His expected ‘maradonic’ solution, rather than achieve its purpose, actually plunged the nation into violent chaos, upheaval, anarchy and bloodshed, leading to the cold-blooded murder in Aso Villa of Chief MKO Abiola, the President-elect. No historical revisionism can wipe away the dreadful consequences of his act. I think, in my humble opinion, IBB should rather apologise to a bleeding nation, ask for forgiveness and allow wounds to heal. He should not reopen them.”
