Babangida’s Unanswered Questions on June 12

The acknowledgment of the victory of the late Chief MKO Abiola in the June 12, 1993 presidential election by a former Military President, retired General Ibrahim Babangida, though belated, will undoubtedly help to heal the wounds of June 12 permanently. Ejiofor Alike, however, writes that not many Nigerians will believe Babangida’s claim that forces led by the late former Head of State, General Sani Abacha plotted the annulment of Abiola’s election, given Babangida’s effective control of his military government for eight years

The acknowledgment of the victory of the late Chief MKO Abiola in the June 12, 1993 presidential election by a former Military President, retired General Ibrahim Babangida, though belated, will undoubtedly help to heal the wounds of June 12 permanently. Ejiofor Alike, however, writes that not many Nigerians will believe Babangida’s claim that forces led by the late former Head of State, General Sani Abacha plotted the annulment of Abiola’s election, given Babangida’s effective control Was it possible under Nigeria’s military government, with its unitary nature, for the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the late General Sani Abacha and other officers, as well as their civilian collaborators to annul the June 12, 1993 presidential election, which was equivalent to a military coup, without the knowledge and approval of the military President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces?

Since the former military President, retired General Ibrahim Babangida waited until the key actors in the June 12 imbroglio were all dead before writing his own side of the story, this question will continue to agitate the minds of Nigerians.

Babangida ruled Nigeria from August 27, 1985 to August 27, 1993. However, his administration was blotted when the June 12,1993 presidential election, regarded as the freest and most credible poll ever held in the country was annulled. 

This sparked outrage in the country, resulting in sustained protests and agitations which led to the dead of many Nigerians.

More than 30 years after the election was annulled under very controversial circumstances, Babangida has finally admitted what Nigerians had always known – that the late Abiola won the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

In Babangida’s revealing memoir, ‘A Journey in Service’, which was launched in Abuja last Thursday, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who reviewed the book, quoted him as saying that Abiola, who contested on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), won the election.

In the memoir, Babangida made sustained efforts to absolve himself of any ignoble role in the annulment.

Though he accepted responsibility and expressed regret for the annulment, he claimed that it was done without his knowledge or permission, a claim which many Nigerians would be unwilling to accept, given the unitary nature of his military government and what was perceived as his firm control of the machinery of government.

His revelation that the Abacha-led forces were behind the annulment gave the impression that he was not in charge of his government, which many would also dispute.

Is he saying that the national broadcast he made on June 24, 1993 to officially announce the annulment of the election, was made under duress?

In the memoir published by Bookcraft Limited, he admitted being close to the leader of the Association to Better Nigeria (ABN), the late Chief Arthur Nzeribe, who had filed a lawsuit to stop the election.

He, however, denied supporting the activities of ABN.

He also admitted that he knew that Justice Bassey Ikpeme’s injunction ordering that the elections should not hold was in clear violation of Decree 13, which barred any court from interfering with NEC’s conduct or scheduling of the elections.

Can a military president with his dictatorial powers be weak, helpless and unable to call his subordinates to order?

The former military leader said that at an emergency meeting of the National Defence and Security Council (NDSC) he summoned on Friday, June 11, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Chief Clement Akpamgbo, who knew that Justice Ikpeme’s court order violated an extant law, tacitly supported the injunction with some of his topmost military officers.

Babangida also revealed that Professor Humphrey Nwosu had insisted, to the dismay of the top military officers, that he had enough powers under the law to proceed with the elections.

He further stated that he directed Nwosu to go ahead with the elections.

He, however, said that on June 16, Nwosu suddenly stopped the announcement of the election results based on what he called Justice Saleh’s ‘strange’ order, stopping the release of the results of the elections.

Can a military head of state be overruled by his own political and military appointees? How come a military regime that was notorious for human rights abuses and disobedient of court orders suddenly started obeying court decisions that violated its own Decree 13?

Babangida further revealed that he was at the home of the Yar’Adua’s family in Katsina on June 23, when a report filtered to him that the June 12 elections had been annulled.

He noted that the announcement terminated all court proceedings regarding the June 12 elections, repealed all the decrees governing the Transition to Civil Rule and even suspended NEC.

Was it possible for all these decisions to have been reached under a military regime without the approval of the head of state?

To take effective control of the military after he toppled Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s regime, Babangida had scrapped the influential office of the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters.

The last occupant of the office, the late Major General Tunde Idiagbon, had wielded enormous powers under Buhari’s regime.

In its place, Babangida created the ceremonial office of the Chief of General Staff, a supposedly military equivalent of the office of the vice president in a civilian government.

The office was first occupied by Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe (rtd.) who was later shoved aside by the ‘Maradona’ and replaced by the late Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, also a figurehead.

In Babangida’s memoir, he claimed that Aikhomu’s Press Secretary, Hon. Nduka Irabor, “had read out a terse, poorly-worded statement from a scrap of paper, which bore neither the presidential seal nor the official letterhead of the government, annulling the June 12 presidential elections.”

“I was alarmed and horrified,” Babangida added.

Is the former military leader saying that the ceremonial Chief of General Staff was in control of his government?

Is he not portraying himself as a ceremonial military president who was under the control of his subordinates and civilian appointees?

Speaking on ARISE NEWS Channel in August 2021, Babangida had claimed that there would have been a violent change of government if the June 12 election had “materialised.”

He said: “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 and the ‘maradonic’ way we handled you guys in the society. But that could’ve given room for more instability in the country.”

Reacting to Babangida’s claims, Afenifere and NADECO chieftains had stated that he was turning history on its head.

The late Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, said Babangida never wanted to vacate office in the first place and had a predetermined agenda.

Did the Abacha-led anti-June 12 forces oppose the election because Babangida’s body language was against handing over to an elected government?

Speaking at the book launch, President Bola Tinubu recalled how he confronted Babangida for always postponing their inauguration after winning election.

“I confronted you that you had an opportunity to make history that day and you failed to do it. Why not inaugurate us? Why are you calling us back and postponing the inauguration?” Tinubu said amid applause from the crowd.

Was Babangida’s alleged reluctance to hand over to an elected civilian administration the cause of the annulment of June 12 presidential election?

With most of the insiders dead, many questions raised by Babangida’s book will remain unanswered.