Former Nigerian military president, General Ibrahim Babangida has for the first time expressed his regret over the annulment of the June 12, 1993 Presidential Election
Also, for the first time, General Babangida has admitted that the acclaimed winner Moshood Abiola, actually won the election.
His comments are contained in his memoir which was presented in Abuja on Thursday
The event, attended by political leaders including Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, former Heads of State, former presidents of Ghana and Sierra Leone, provided historical perspectives on Nigeria’s politics covering a period of three decades
According to General Babangida, “mistakes, oversights and missteps happened in quick succession” but he admits all decisions taken were done in national interest.
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Reviewing the autobiography, former Vice President of Nigeria Prof Yemi Osinbajo provided a peak into its contents where General Babangida wrote that upon closer examination of the results of the June 12 election, MKO Abiola actually met the constitutional requirements of majority votes and geographical spread. According to the book, MKO scored 8,128,720 votes while his closest competitor BashirTofa scored 5,848,257 votes
Other historical controversies addressed in his autobiography are the death of journalist and publisher Dele Giwa, the Mamman Vatsa coup and the decision of the Supreme Military Council to execute Vatsa.
Other chapters of the book covers the Gideon Orkar coup and how late General Sani Abacha foiled it, General Babangida’a decision to enlist Nigeria as a member of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC), the Structural Adjustment Programme SAP riots of 1989, the C-130 military aircraft crash of 1992 in which 159 top Nigerian military officers died in Ejigbo, Lagos, including 7 foreigners; and the conspiracies surrounding the crash.
General Babangida in his vote of thanks said the book will serve as his evidence-in-chief for posterity long after he is gone
