The family of the late Gen. Sani Abacha on Sunday issued a scathing response to former Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, over claims made in his autobiography, ‘A Journey in Service’ that the late dictator was responsible for the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Our source reported that Babangida expressed regret over the annulment of the historic poll, acknowledging that the candidate of the Social Democratic Party, MKO Abiola, was the actual winner.
In the concluding section of the 12th chapter of his autobiography launched in Abuja, the former military leader described the annulment of the election as an “accident of history.”
He blamed military officers led by Abacha, his former Chief of Defence Staff, who later became military head of state, for annulling the election “without his permission”.
Reacting in a statement signed by his son, Mohammed Abacha, the late dictator’s family debunked IBB’s claims, stating that their late patriarch was neither the Head of State nor the Commander-in-Chief at the time of the annulment.
The family also accused the former military ruler of attempting to deliberately distort historical facts and shift the blame to Abacha.
The statement read, “The decision to annul the election was made under the administration of General Ibrahim Babangida, who, as the then Head of State, held absolute executive powers and was solely responsible for the actions of his government.
“Any attempt to shift this blame onto General Sani Abacha, who was a very senior military officer within the regime, is a deliberate distortion of historical facts. For years, various actors have attempted to rewrite the history of that critical period in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
“We urge Nigerians to be wary of revisionist narratives that seek to manipulate public perception for personal or political reasons. The memory of our late father and leader, General Sani Abacha, must not be tarnished by baseless accusations meant to absolve those who were truly responsible.
“We regret that ‘A Journey in Service’ missed the opportunity and failed to make history as a truthful and objective account of past events. As one public commentator aptly put it, honesty, sincerity, and integrity are virtues not commonly associated with the author.”
Adebayo Folorunsho-Francis @ThePUNCH
