The former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, witnessed the launch of his presidential library and his autobiography, “A Journey in Service”, yesterday with President Bola Tinubu leading former presidents and former military leaders, and other stakeholders to praise him.
The event which took place at Transcorp Hotel, Abuja, witnessed dignitaries including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was Chairman of the occasion, former heads of state, Generals Yakubu Gowon and Abdulsalam Abubakar, and former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Also in attendance were former Vice Presidents Atiku Abubakar, Namadi Sambo and Yemi Osinbajo, the presidential candidate of Labour Party in 2023 poll and former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi and the Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, and former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The keynote speaker, former President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, and his counterpart, the former President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Koroma, graced the event.
Governors, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, industrialists, technocrats and traditional rulers were equally in attendance.
General Babangida, shedding more light on the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, said he was afraid the winner, late Chief MKO Abiola, could be killed and the nation thrown into another avoidable civil war.
Revealing that Abiola of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, beat Alhaji Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention, NRC, and won the election, General Babangida also took responsibility for the annulment of the election considered the freest and fairest presidential poll in Nigeria’s history.
However, IBB claimed that the annulment of the election was orchestrated by forces in his administration led by late General Sani Abacha, his Chief of Army Staff and later Minister of Defence.
He wrote in the book: “Although I am on record to have stated after the elections that Abiola may not have won the elections, upon deeper reflection and a closer examination of all the available facts, particularly the detailed election results, which are published as an appendix to this volume, there was no doubt that MKO Abiola won the June 12 elections.”
Babangida said he was particularly disturbed by the unceremonious manner in which the announcement was made.
“Admiral Aikhomu’s press secretary, 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.”
“It was only later, I disclosed, that he realized the annulment was carried out by powerful elements within his administration, led by Abacha, who was his minister of defence.”
“There and then, I knew I was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea!” The fallout led to protests, international condemnation, and Abacha’s eventual seizure of power in a palace coup in 1993 after Babangida was forced to step aside.
IBB, on the death of Dele Giwa, denied any involvement of the government, saying that he expected that one day the truth would be uncovered.
He said: “The hysteria of the media did not help the investigation of the Giwa murder. As is typical of the Nigerian media, the direction was marked by an adversarial attitude towards the government, which had remained the hallmark of the Nigerian media from its colonial heyday.”