After 26 years of the historic presidential election, Babagana Kingibe, the running mate to late Moshood Abiola, whose victory in the 1993 poll was annulled by the Babangida junta, has disclosed why he abandoned the June 12 struggle to join the next military regime of late Sani Abacha.
The president Muhammadu Buhari led administration had last year acknowledged late Abiola’s June 12 mandate annulled by a former military dictator, Ibrahim Babangida.
Abiola, who died in prison after he was arrested by the Abacha regime, was also posthumously decorated as Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR).
Kingibe, who was also Nigeria’s former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), was last year decorated as Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON), a title usually reserved for vice presidents.
President Buhari, who conferred those titles on the two, has also initiated the alteration of the Nigerian Public Holiday Act to recognise June 12 as Democracy Day, replacing May 29.
But Kingibe, who served under Abacha as a Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1993 and 1995 – a period during which his supposed President-elect was still in prison, said in his disclosure that he abandoned the June 12 struggle to take a role in Abacha’s administration was for “national interest which he put above his personal feelings”.
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He added that his action was in line “with the teachings of the Muslim faith which he professes that leadership comes from God which he accepted in good fate.”
“When we think of the collective good, there are times when we have to sacrifice personal interest and join hands in rebuilding society and bringing peace and harmony to our people
“I have addressed this issue of why I joined Abacha’s government and so on. I know we won the elections on June 12, 1993, I know that injustice was done when those elections were annulled but there is always one guiding principle in my public life which is that the national interest supersedes any other considerations.
“All my actions have been informed by this consciousness of what is best in the national interest, Kingibe said”
