By Paul Dada
The pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has said that the open admission by former military President Ibrahim Babangida that Moshood Abiola won the June 12, 1993 election, is belated and insufficient.
Babangida also known as IBB, had on Thursday, during the launch of his autobiography, ‘A Journey in Service,’ had said: “Although I am on record to have stated after the election that Abiola may not have won the election, upon deeper reflection and a closer examination of all the available facts, particularly the detailed election results…there was no doubt that MKO Abiola won the June 12 election.
“Upon closer examination of the original collated figures from the 110,000 polling booths nationwide, it was clear that he satisfied the two main constitutional requirements for winning the presidential elections, mainly majority votes and geographical spread, having obtained 8,128,720 votes against Tofa’s 5,848,247 votes and securing the mandatory one-third of the votes cast in 28 states of the federation, including Abuja.”
But in its reaction, Afenifere, in a statement by its Organising Secretary, Kole Omololu, said, IBB’s public admission of Abiola’s victory, did not absolve him and his associates of the irreversible damage the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election had caused.
The statement said, “His belated acknowledgement that the election was indisputably free, fair, and credible merely reaffirms what Nigerians have known for over three decades—that Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola was the rightful winner of that historic election.
“However, this long-overdue confession cannot exonerate Babangida and his associates from the monumental betrayal inflicted upon the nation.
“It does not restore the lives lost, nor does it atone for the enduring scars of oppression, bloodshed, and the suppression of democracy. The consequences of that reckless annulment remain irreversible.
“The Yoruba nation, and indeed all Nigerians, bore the brunt of Babangida’s self-serving power grab. His decision plunged the country into chaos and ushered in an era of state-sponsored terror against democracy activists, pro-democracy media, and innocent citizens who dared to demand justice.”
The statement said the consequences of the annulment of the election by the IBB administration led to the assassinations of Kudirat Abiola, Alfred Rewane, and others.
It said, “Many distinguished Yoruba sons and daughters suffered grave injustices—exiled, imprisoned, or tragically eliminated—under the despotic military regimes of Babangida and Abacha, which were determined to silence the will of the people.”
Afenifere said that Abiola must be posthumously accorded all privileges and recognitions befitting a legitimately elected President.
“We reiterate our unequivocal demand that his (Abiola’s) name must be inscribed in the annals of Nigeria’s history, not as a mere political casualty but as the rightful President-elect who was denied the opportunity to serve.
“Anything short of this remains a continued affront to justice and historical truth.
“Afenifere salutes MKO Abiola as a towering symbol of courage, a visionary whose unwavering commitment to democracy was matched only by his willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice for the emancipation of his people.
“Babangida’s so-called remorse rings hollow, for true atonement is measured not by words but by actions. His admission, far from being redemptive, serves only as a reminder of the grievous wrongs that remain unaddressed,” the statement said.
