- Safiu Kehinde
Gumsu Abacha, daughter of late Nigerian Military Head of State, Maj. Gen. Sani Abacha, has slammed former Military Head, Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, over his allegation against her father in regards to the annulment of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election.
NPO reported that Babangida had, at the launching of his autobiography on Thursday, put the controversies surrounding the June 12 election to rest as he finally admitted that late Nigerian businessman and politician, Moshood Abiola, won the election.
However, the ex-militiary leader would shift blames on Abacha whom he labelled his “biggest headache” in the autobiography titled “A Journey in Service”.
Babangida claimed that the election was annulled without his authority- a plot he alleged to be carried out inside forces led by Abacha.
This enraged the late military chief’s daughter, Gumsu, who, in a statement on her X handle on Friday, fired back at Babangida.
Citing several extracts where Babangida mentioned Abacha’s involvement in the annulment, Gumsu accused Babangida of altering history, stressing that the facts told a different history.
“Your memoir, *A Journey in Service*, launched yesterday, February 20, 2025, in Abuja, has stirred the pot once more.
“Through your book reviewer, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, you admitted that Chief MKO Abiola won the June 12, 1993, election, a truth long known to Nigerians.
“Yet, you’ve shifted the blame to General Sani Abacha, claiming he was your “biggest headache” and the mastermind behind the annulment.
“You wrote, “Without question, one of my biggest headaches at this time was Sani Abacha. I knew that Abacha was ambivalent about a return to civil rule,” and alleged he led forces that annulled the election without your authority while you were in Katsina.
“This narrative, casting Abacha as the villain and yourself as a sidelined bystander, is a convenient rewrite of history.
“The facts tell a different story: your eight years in power gutted Nigeria, while Abacha, for all his complexities, rebuilt it into a stronger, prouder nation. Let’s set the record straight.” Gumsu wrote in the statement issued by her media aide, Sameer Lukman.
She proceeded to question why Babangida made Abacha his Chief of Defense Staff if he never trust in him.
Gumsu maintained that the election was annulled under Babangida’s administration while accusing him of betraying her father’s loyalty.
“In your book, you claim ignorance of the annulment, stating that the press secretary to your second-in-command, Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, announced it without your permission. You wrote, “To suddenly have an announcement made without my authority was, to put it mildly, alarming. I remember saying: ‘These nefarious “inside” forces opposed to the elections have outflanked me!’ I would later find out that the ‘forces’ led by General Sani Abacha annulled the elections.”
“This is a flimsy dodge. You were the Commander-in-Chief, sir, not a bystander. The June 12 election, which you now concede was “credible, free, and fair,” was annulled under your watch on June 24, 1993, via a national broadcast you authorized.
“If Abacha outmaneuvered you, why appoint him Chief of Defence Staff? Why leave him as the Interim National Government’s (ING) military linchpin when you “stepped aside”?
“Your claim that he became a “dominant force in a factionalised military” only underscores your failure to command loyalty or control your own regime.
“You paint Abacha as a schemer, alleging he “attempted to violently remove me from power through a coup” by spreading a narrative that I was “the problem.”
“Yet, history shows he saved you during the 1990 Orkar coup, rallying loyal troops when your life hung in the balance.
“You’ve admitted this before, praising him on your 74th birthday in 2015 for coming to your aid. Where’s the loyalty Abacha showed you? We might never hear his side of the story, but history never lies; it records his actions, not your recastings.
“Now, you label him a headache to absolve yourself. The contradiction is glaring: if Abacha was so untrustworthy, why entrust him with Nigeria’s defense? Your memoir’s finger-pointing reeks of hindsight crafted to dodge accountability.” Gumsu wrote.
Comparing Babangida’s administration with Abacha’s, Gumsu claimed that her father inherited the wreckage left by the ex-militiary President, stressing that Nigeria bled under Babangida’s watch with his Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) which wrecked the naira from 0.89 to 17 per dollar by 1993.
“Let’s talk about your legacy. June 12 wasn’t Abacha’s doing; it was yours. You annulled Nigeria’s fairest election, sparking unrest and shattering democratic hopes.
“Your Interim Government under Ernest Shonekan was a puppet show, collapsing in three months because you designed it to fail.
“Economically, your IMF-backed Structural Adjustment Program tanked the naira from 0.89 to 17 per dollar by 1993, unleashed inflation, and impoverished millions, while you siphoned off $12 billion, dwarfing any “Abacha loot.” Politically, you banned real parties, executed rivals like Mamman Vatsa on shaky grounds, and stoked religious strife with the OIC move.
“Nigeria bled under your watch; Abacha merely inherited the wreckage.” She wrote.
Abacha, according to Gumsu, took power in 1993 not to ruin Nigeria, but to steady it.
She claimed the late Military President grew reserves from $494 million to $9.6 billion and cut debt from $36 billion to $27 billion, all with oil at $15 a barrel.
Gumsu continued that Inflation fell from 54% to 8.5% with roads built in Lagos, Kano, and beyond.
She also noted Abacha’s stand against the West and his partnership with late Libyan President, Gaddafi, in restoring stability to West Africa.
“You call him “ambivalent” about civilian rule, yet he began a transition framework in 1995, cut short by his death in 1998, paving the way for 1999’s democracy.
“Your memoir begrudges his resolve; I see a leader who acted where you wavered.
“You scorn his defiance, but Abacha’s stand against globalists was Nigeria’s gain. After the 1995 Saro-Wiwa execution, a domestic call you’d have ducked, sanctions hit. He didn’t bend.
“He allied with Libya’s Gaddafi, hosting him in Kano in 1997 to cheers of thousands, and led ECOWAS to stabilize West Africa. You courted the West; Abacha defied them, preserving our sovereignty.
“Your book admits regret, saying, “June 12 happened under my watch; mistakes, oversights, and missteps happened in quick succession,” and “If I have to do it all over again, I’d do it differently.” Too late, sir. You claim Abacha “wanted that job at all cost,” a line from a 2018 interview you now amplify.
“Yet, if he was your headache, you empowered him. History favors Abacha not for flawlessness; his rule was tough, but for results: stability, growth, and pride. You left Nigeria broken; he left it standing tall. Your memoir can’t rewrite that.”. Gumsu concluded.