June 12: Afenifere Reacts As Babangida Gives Reason For Annulling MKO Abiola’s Victory

Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, has slammed former Head of State Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, claiming that he lived in eternal regret and missed an opportunity to become Nigeria’s democracy hero in 1993.

The explanation given by the former military dictator for annulling the June 12 election, according to Afenifere, was an insult to Nigerians’ intelligence.

The election, which was fiercely contested by the late MKO Abiola of the Social Democratic Party and Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention, and was reportedly won by Abiola, was regarded to be the most transparent in Nigerian political history.

The military administration led by Babangida, however, declared the election null and void.

IBB stated he cancelled the election to prevent a violent coup d’etat in an interview on Friday.

However, Afenifere Secretary-General Sola Ebiseni described Babangida’s remark as “a foul taste in the mouth.”

“Babangida has not said a new thing worthy of any reaction in respect of his treasonable acts of the annulment of the adjudged freest and fairest election in the country’s political history,” he said.

“Nigerians are not interested in any excuse being given by IBB. It is even most preposterous that IBB will only now be insulting the intelligence of Nigerians that he annulled their mandate to forestall a violent coup, which, by reasonable inference, he was aware of.

“He lost the opportunity of being the hero of democracy and father of a new Nigeria, an eternal regret that no whitewashing on television can redeem.

“However, it is no gain saying the fact that the present administration has made saints of all previous administrations in every aspect of governance.”

He also said the President Muhammadu Buhari government has failed in the areas of his promises to Nigerians on security, economy and anti-corruption.