Ibrahim Babangida (IBB), Nigeria’s former military president, has expressed remorse for the annulment of the presidential election on June 12, 1993, 32 years later. Mr Babangida also blamed Sani Abacha and other military officers for calling off the election. Mr. Babangida revealed this in his autobiography, “A Journey in Service,” which was released to the public on Thursday. The book details Mr. Babangida’s national service experiences, decisions, and problems. In the 420-page memoir, the former military dictator admitted that the 1993 election was “credible, free, and fair” and won by Moshood Abiola, the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) candidate.

The retired army officer accepted responsibility for suspending the exercise in which Mr. Abiola defeated the late Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention. Mr Babangida, who announced the annulment of the election in a national broadcast on June 24, 1993, now believes Mr Abiola won the poll. “Although I’m on record to have admitted after the election that Abiola may have not won the election, upon deeper reflections, and a close examination of all available facts, particularly the detailed election results which I published as an appendix to this book, there was no doubt that MKO Abiola won the June 12 election.” “Upon closer analysis of the original aggregated figures from the 110 polling booths around the country,
Although I admitted after the election that Abiola may not have won, deeper reflections and a close examination of all available facts, particularly the detailed election results published as an appendix to this book, left no doubt that MKO Abiola won the June 12 election.” “Upon closer examination of the original collated figures from the 110 polling booths in the country, it was clear that he satisfied the two main constitutional requirements for winning the presidential election; mainly the majority votes and the geographical spread, having obtained 8,128,720 votes against Tofa’s 5,84,8247 votes and securing the mandatory one-third of the vote cast in 28 states of the federation, including Abuja,” said Mr. Babangida.
In other passages of the memoir, Mr Babangida claims that military commanders led by Sani Abacha, his chief of defence staff who ultimately became military head of state, nullified the June 12 election “without his permission”. Nonetheless, the retired army general accepted responsibility for cancelling the drill.

“I regret June 12.” I assume full responsibility for the judgments made, and June 12 occurred under my watch. Mistakes and blunders occurred in fast succession,” he explained. In August 1993, two months after the annulment on June 12, Mr Babangida resigned as military ruler and appointed an interim government led by Ernest Shonekan. Mr. Abacha ousted the government in November 1993. Events that lead to an annulment In his memoir, Mr Babangida stated that Mr Abacha had become a key figure in a “factionalised” military, making it difficult to remove him after the military ruler stepped down. Mr Babangida stated that the route to the June 12 annulment began two days before D-Day, when a judge granted an injunction preventing the election commission from advancing
Events that lead to an annulment In his memoir, Mr Babangida stated that Mr Abacha had become a key figure in a “factionalised” military, making it difficult to remove him after the military ruler stepped down. Mr Babangida stated that the trip to the June 12 annulment began two days before D-Day, when a judge obtained an injunction preventing the electoral commission from proceeding with the poll. The Association to Better Nigeria (ABN), led by Arthur Nzeribe, filed the complaint. According to The Cable newspaper, which obtained the memoir, Mr Babangida admitted that Mr Nzeribe was close to him but denied backing ABN’s actions.
“From out of nowhere, on June 10, two days before the presidential election, the same shadowy group, ABN, which had been campaigning for an extension of military rule, approached the Abuja High Court of Justice Bassey Ikpeme for an injunction to stop NEC (National Electoral Commission) from conducting the elections,” according to what the former military dictator said in the book’s introduction. “Unknown to me at the time, Justice Ikpeme, who was relatively new to the Bench, had previously served in the chambers of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Clement Akpamgbo. Strangely, in the dead of night, in clear contravention of Decree 13, which prohibited any court from interfering with INEC’s conduct or timing of the elections, Justice Ikpeme granted the ABN an injunction blocking conducting the June 12 elections. There was confusion everywhere.”

Mr Babangida said he quickly convened an emergency meeting of the National Defence and Security Council (NDSC), the country’s highest governing body, to discuss the way forward.

“On Friday, June 11, as the NDSC meeting was taking place, I discovered that a Lagos High Court had declared that the NEC should hold the elections. The NDSC meeting on Friday, June 11, barely hours before the elections, was one of the most tumultuous meetings I’ve ever led as President. Strangely, the Attorney General and Justice Minister, Akpamgbo, who was the nation’s chief law officer and should have known that the Justice Ikpeme court order violated an existing law (and was tacitly supported, it turned out, by some of my top military officers), recommended that the elections be postponed in accordance with the Abuja court order. Professor (Humphrey) Nwosu (NEC chairman) maintained, to the dismay of my top military colleagues, that he had enough powers under the law to proceed with the elections,” the former military leader wrote.

“The arguments lasted for hours in a tense atmosphere, with some who wanted the elections postponed, including the Chief of Defence Staff, General Sani Abacha, Lt-General Joshua Dogonyaro, and a few Service Chiefs.” But I kept my opinions to myself! Even before Professor Nwosu delivered his cogent argument, I concluded that the elections should go forward, with strong support from the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Salihu Ibrahim.” Mr. Babangida remembers glancing across the table and telling Mr. Nwosu, “Go ahead with the elections.” Go to your office, conduct an international press conference, and inform everyone that the elections will take place tomorrow as scheduled.” He stated that on June 16, 1993, Mr. Nwosu abruptly ceased releasing the election results, despite the fact that voting had taken place .

On June 16, without my knowledge or agreement, NEC Chairman Professor Nwosu declared the suspension of the June 12 election results ‘until further notice’. I realized right away that certain fifth columnists were at work, and that extra precautions were necessary! Even after the suspension of result announcements, ABN secured another’strange’ court order from Justice Saleh’s court in Abuja, which prevented the release of election results,” he stated.
On June 23, 1993, Mr Babangida stated that he left Abuja for Katsina to sympathize with the Yar’Adua family on the death of their patriarch, Musa Yar’Adua, former minister of Lagos affairs and father of Umaru, the late Nigerian president who died in office in 2007. In his words: “The funeral had taken place, and as I was about to leave, I received word that the June 12 elections had been cancelled. Even more odd was the magnitude of the annulment, which terminated all judicial procedures related to the June 12 elections, revoked all Transition directives, and even suspended the NEC! Equally strange was the sloppy way the message was couched and delivered. Nduka Irabor, the press secretary for Admiral (Augustus) Aikhomu, had read
Yes, during the standoff that ensued after the results announcement, the idea of annulment, which may lead to new elections, was casually mentioned in passing. However, annulment was just one of several alternatives. However, having an announcement made without my approval was, to put it bluntly, alarming. I recall saying, ‘These wicked ‘inside’ forces opposing the elections have outflanked me! I later learned that the ‘forces’ led by General Sani Abacha had invalidated the elections. I realized right then that I was caught between ‘a devil and the deep blue sea’!! From then on, the June 12 elections took a tragic turn for which, as I will demonstrate later, I regretfully accept responsibility.”