L-R: The late Sani Abacha and Ibrahim Babangida, former military heads of state General Ibrahim Babangida, the former head of state, said that the late General Sani Abacha was to blame for the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, but the family has denied this.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Babangida acknowledged that MKO Abiola, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party, had won the election and apologized for the annulment in his recently published autobiography, A Journey in Service.
The controversial decision was made “without his permission,” according to IBB, which described the annulment as a “accident of history” and blamed military leaders commanded by Abacha, who was his Chief of Defence Staff at the time. The late dictator’s family rejected IBB’s allegations in a statement released on Sunday and signed by his son, Mohammed Abacha. They insisted that Abacha was not the Commander-in-Chief or the Head of State at the time of the annulment.
Babangida was accused by the family of trying to transfer blame and misrepresent historical facts. According to the statement, “General Ibrahim Babangida, who was the Head of State at the time and had complete executive authority and was entirely accountable for the acts of his government, made the decision to call off the election.”
“It is a willful distortion of historical facts to seek to place this guilt on General Sani Abacha, a highly senior military man within the administration. Many players have been trying for years to change the course of that crucial juncture in Nigeria’s democratic development. The Abacha family also cautioned Nigerians against what they called “revisionist narratives,” which aim to sway public opinion for political ends.
“Revisionist narratives that aim to sway public opinion for political or personal gain should be avoided by Nigerians,” we advise. The statement went on to say, “Unfounded accusations intended to absolve those who were truly responsible must not tarnish the memory of our late father and leader, General Sani Abacha.”
“We regret that A Journey in Service missed the opportunity and failed to make history as a truthful and objective account of past events,” the family said in closing, criticizing Babangida’s autobiography for not providing an honest account of events. “Honesty, sincerity, and integrity are qualities not typically associated with the author,” as one public commentator eloquently stated.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
