I Annulled June 12 Poll To Avert A Coup – IBB
Former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) has said that if he did not annul the June 12 presidential election there would have been a violent coup d’etat.
“You want me to be honest with you. If it (June 12 election) had materialized, there would have been a coup d’tat which could have been violent. Thank God it didn’t happen,” he said in an interview with Arise TV, ahead of his 80th birthday.
General Babangida claimed that some elements in the military would have staged a violent coup if he did not annul the election.
“If it materialised, there would’ve been a coup d’état which could have been violent. That’s all I can confirm,” the ex-dictator explained.
“It didn’t happen thanks to the engineering and the ‘Maradonic’ way we handled you guys in the society,” Mr Babangida added with a tinge of disdain. But that could’ve given room for more instability in the country.”
The June 12 Presidential Election won by Chief Moshood Abiola, was adjudged the freest and fairest election in Nigeria’s history.
The election was contested between Chief MKO Abiola of the Social Democratic Party and Alh. Bashir Tofa of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC).
Chief MKO Abiola was widely believed to have won the election.
Widespread condemnations and protests followed the annulment forcing Mr Babangida to “step aside,” handing over power to Ernest Shonekan on August 27, 1993, as the head of the so-called Interim National Government.
Within a few weeks of being in power, a military coup that Mr Babangida claimed to have prevented occurred as Gen. Sani Abacha ousted Mr Shonekan.
Chief MKO Abiola who was arrested by the regime of General Sani Abacha for declaring himself winner of the election, later died in detention during the regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar.
President Muhammadu Buhari has however recognized his victory and apologized to the family of Abiola on behalf of the Nigerian military.
Buhari also declared June 12 Democracy Day.
