- Safiu Kehinde
Nigerian lawmaker, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has charged former Military Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, to call names of those responsible for the annulment of June 12, 1993, election.
Reacting to Babangida’s admittance that late MKO Abiola won the election conducted 32 years ago, Kalu urged him to publish a second volume of the memoir that would address unanswered questions surrounding the annulment of the June 12 election.
“I look forward to the second edition of Babangida’s book because the first did not reveal all the realities.
“I was present during the events of June 12, and I know what happened. Babangida should call out the names of those responsible for preventing the election declaration,” Kalu said.
According to report, the former Abia State Governor, also charged President Bola Tinubu to officially recognize the late Abiola as one of Nigeria’s past presidents.
While commending former president, Muhammadu Buhari, for conferring a posthumous national honor on Abiola, Kalu urged Tinubu to place Abiola’s portrait alongside those of other former leaders in the Presidential Villa.
“Since Abiola won, his picture should be placed among Nigeria’s past presidents.
“I commend former President Buhari for giving him a national honor, but I also appeal to President Tinubu to officially recognize him and place his image where it belongs. This would help bring succor to his family,” he said.
NPO reported that Babangida had brought an end to the controversies surrounding the June 12, 1993, Presidential election, as he admitted that late Nigerian businessman and politician, Moshood Abiola, won the election
Babangida made admitted this in his autobiography launched last week Wednesday at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
As quoted by former Nigerian Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, who presented the book review, Babangida put the controversies to rest as he held that Abiola fulfilled all requirements of the election and indeed won.
“He also answers the question whether Abiola won the June 12 election. And I quote him“although I am on record to have stated after the election that Abiola may not have won the election. Upon deeper reflection and closer examination of all available facts particularly the detailed election results which I published as an appendix to this book, there is no doubt that MKO Abiola won the June 12 election.
“Upon closer examination of the original collated figures from the 110-polling booth nationwide, it was clear that he satisfied the two main constitutional requirements for winning the Presidential election- mainly majority votes and geographical spread.
“Having obtained 8,128,720 votes against Toofah’s 5,848,247 votes and securing the mandatory one-third of the votes cast in 28 states of the Federation, including Abuja, and ratified that the Buhari administration finally recognised him as a former head of state of Nigeria.”Babangida was quoted to have said.
The ex-military head of state futher admitted that the June 12 election is the most challenging and painful moment in his life.
“He concluded in the book, and I quote him“Looking back now, the June 12 saga was undeniably the most challenging moment of my life and in certain respect one of the most painful.”And he went on to admit,“If I had to do it all over again, I will do it differently.”Osinbajo quoted Babangida.