“Mistakes, oversights, and missteps can occur in quick succession, but I maintain in my book that we acted in extreme national interest so that Nigeria could survive. June 12 happened under my watch”
32 Years After, IBB Admits MKO Abiola Won June 12 Election
Thirty-two years after his controversial annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, Nigeria’s former military Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, has publicly acknowledged for the first time that the late philanthropist and democracy advocate, Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, won the election.
This surprising revelation is included in Babangida’s 420-page memoir titled *A Journey in Service: An Autobiography of Ibrahim Babangida*, which was launched in Abuja on Thursday, attended by numerous dignitaries from within and outside the country.
During the book review, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo noted that Babangida, often referred to as the “evil genius” and “Maradona,” definitively addressed the question of whether Abiola won the June 12 election.
In his memoir, Babangida stated, “Although I am on record to have said after the election that Abiola may not have won, upon further reflection and a closer examination of all available facts—specifically the detailed election results published as an appendix in this book—it is clear that MKO Abiola won the June 12 elections.”
He elaborated, “Upon examining the original collated figures from the 110 polling booths nationwide, it was evident that he met the two main requirements for winning the presidential election: he secured a majority of the votes and met the geographical spread criteria. Abiola obtained 8,128,720 votes compared to Tofa’s 5,848,247 and achieved the necessary one-third of the votes in 28 states of the Federation, including Abuja.”
In his address, Babangida, commonly known as IBB, accepted full responsibility for the decisions made during his military administration, stating that the annulment of the election was in the “extreme national interest.”
He said, “Mistakes, oversights, and missteps can occur in quick succession, but I maintain in my book that we acted in extreme national interest so that Nigeria could survive. June 12 happened under my watch.”
Babangida’s admission supports the earlier statement made by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who remarked years ago that if not for “bad belle”—a Nigerian colloquial term for ill will—MKO Abiola would have become Nigeria’s President following the June 12, 1993, presidential election. Read More
