…Implicates David Mark, Abacha, Emirs
General Ibrahim Babangida has explained the reason he annulled the June 12, 1993 presidential election which was won by the late Chief MKO Abiola. On June 12, that is next month’s, Nigeria will mark it as Democracy Day again.
Babangida said: They will kill me; they will kill the President Elect, Chief MKO Abiola if I went ahead with the election and announced the winner of the elections which we all know to be Bashorun, Chief MKO Abiola.
”I know so; I am not daft. He won; he tried. I feel bad about the whole matter. Professor, I do not see how they will spare you because they know you are my principal confidant. You think they do not know you? They know; they know you are with me now. They saw you coming in and they know you are with me now I cannot kill myself for the sake of what the country wants. I am sorry,” IBB lamented. It was astonishing to hear a General stating that he could not lay down his life for his country.
It was clear that General Babangida was in a fix as of June 21st 1993. I then proceeded to deal with the questions of who were these “they” and for what reasons would they want to kill the President and the President Elect if the June 12 election were allowed to go forward. He named them in military and in ethnic categories:
”Sani (meaning General Sani Abacha) is opposed to a return to civilian rule. Sani cannot stand the idea of Chief Abiola, a Yoruba becoming his Commander- in- Chief; Sani seems to have the ears of the Norhern leaders that no Southerner especially from the South West should become the President of the country. Sani seems to rally the Northern elders to confront me on the matter. He is winning; the Sultan and the Northern leaders are of this frame of mind.”
”Where do I go from here? They do not trust me. Without Sani, I will not be alive today; without the North, I would not have become an officer in the Nigerian Army and now the President of Nigeria I don’t want to appear ungrateful to Sani; he may not be bright upstairs but he knows how to overthrow governments and overpower coup plotters. He saw to my coming to office in 1985 and to my protection in the many coups I faced in the past, especially the Orkar coup of 1990 where he saved me and my family including my infant daughter.”
”Sani risked his life to get me into office in 1983 and 1985; if he says he does not want Chief Abiola, I will not force Chief Abiola on him.”
He also named Lt General Dongoyaro and Brigadier General David Mark as those who were against Chief Abiola. In fact, he quoted David Mark as saying: I’d shoot Chief Abiola the day NEC( National Electoral Commission) pronounces him the elected President!
SOURCE:THE TALE OF JUNE 12: THE BETRAYAL OF THE DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS OF NIGERIANS BY PROFESSOR OMO OMORUYI.
-MKO Abiola also explained why IBB left Abacha behind. Read that interview here
View Comments (6)
One thing I know that is certain is that God must one day raise a David from this southern side as a president who will query IBB on how he killed MKO
IBB the maximum ruler of his time is not and can never be truthful. The spirit of the June 12 is really tourturing him and he is looking for where to push it. He is truly an evil geniouse that killed his childhood friend. His smiles were zeal of cruelty always ready to kill any one and to destroy anything. He would revenge slightest offence against him. He alone knows where Abiola has crossed his path and decided to repay him even at the expense of the nation.
Ibb is a useless man,he's only looking for excuses, he turned on nigeria up and down,he was behaving like a good that time.ibb is enemy of nigeria ,ene en of Yoruba, nemesis had caught up with him already, once a powerful man, is now useless sitting on a wheelchair with swollen leg and a stroke. He cannot walk on his own
My take is simple on this matter it's just that the northern people don't want other regions to rule in the nation they both owned, it's sad and with this understanding the nation can't have peace because one part of the country can't be ruling and just want others to follow it can't work work, every region right to leadership must be respected and be upheld if we must remain one Nigeria
This is becoming more interesting. Listen to me IBB, only God can forgive you. The evil you have done to this country especially to Yoruba tribe will not let you go free.
But you people have done the worst. Was it not astonish when a leader, C-in-C for that matter could not lay down his life for betterment of his country?