Ex-military ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida, drew more fire on Friday from across the country over his public admission that the late Chief Moshood Abiola won the June 12, 1993 election.
Several key actors in the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), including Oba Olu Falae, Dr. Amos Akingba and Olawale Oshun, dismissed Babangida’s latest stance as belated.
Former Foreign Affairs Minister Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi said leaders should learn from the scenario, adding that the onus is always on them to take responsibility for their good and bad decisions.
Abiola’s daughter, Hafsat Abiola-Costello, said there was nothing new in what the former ruler said about the true winner of the election, although his brother AbdulMumini seemed satisfied that at long last Babangida “expressed remorse about the decision he made.”
Gumsu Sani Abacha, daughter of the late military ruler General Sani Abacha, chose to respond with cryptic messages on X apparently over the indictment of her father by Babangida for allegedly engineering the annulment of the election results.
The ex-military leader, also claims in his memoirs that Abacha plotted to violently overthrow his administration and had hatred for the late Chief Moshood Abiola.
In one of the messages on her X handle G_sparking, yesterday Gumsu wrote in Hausa: Allah baya bacci fa!! Muyi hattara da duniya wallahi (God does not sleep. We should be careful with this world, I swear).
Babangida, speaking at the launch of the book “A Journey in Service” in Abuja on Thursday, had described the annulment of the election as most regrettable.
“The nation is entitled to expect my impression of regret,” he said.
He added: “As the leader of the military administration, I accept full responsibility for all decisions taken under my watch, and June 12 happened under my watch.
“Mistakes, oversight and missteps happened in quick succession, but as I state in my book, in all matters, we acted in the supreme national interest so that Nigeria could survive.”
He acknowledged that his administration’s actions disrupted the nation’s transition to civilian rule but claimed that the country overcame the setback.
One of the sons of the late Chief Abiola, AbdulMunini, said on Arise TV yesterday that I think it’s important that we understand that we’re human and it’s in humans to err and what we need to do is to acknowledge when we make those mistakes and seek forgiveness.
“So, for me, I think that was more important to me: the fact that he expressed that remorse towards the decision that he had made.”
Falae: NADECO knew that IBB committed error
Falae who served as Secretary to the Federal Government and Finance Minister under Babangida, said pro-democracy forces knew that the former military president committed a blunder long before the Thursday confession.
Falae, who is now the Olu of Ilu Aabo, Akure, said he had no further reaction to IBB’s admittance of error beyond the reaction NADECO made 32 years ago.
Falae said the annulment led to a chain of events, including the persecution of activists, bombings and loss of lives.
He said: “What reaction again? We, members of NADECO, reacted 32 years ago when Abiola’s election was annulled.
“We formed NADECO in Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo’s house at Ikeja; 52 of us signed a memo demanding the de-annulment.
“It was the first time civilians would give a military government an ultimatum.”
Falae added: The government started harassing us. I spent two years in detention.
“We made our comments 32 years ago. We rejected the annulment and we gave an ultimatum. We have nothing to add to that.
“Some of us paid the supreme price. We were detained. Some lost their lives. Some were exiled. Gen. Akinrinade’s house was bombed.
We made our reactions 32 years ago. I have nothing to add to that.”
Leaders should not shun responsibility, says Akinyemi
Akinyemi, who was among NADECO chieftains who fled the country, said “the facts have spoken for themselves.”
Source: The Nation