Following the launch of the autobiography of the self-styled former military President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), there has been a deluge of reactions among Nigerians online. Apart from his acceptance that Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), won the election held on June 12, 1993, the 83-year-old military ruler claimed the decisions he took relating to the crisis of the annulment, were in the “supreme interest” of the country. Nigerians on social media platforms, especially those who witnessed the deaths, pains and turbulence of the period have however pushed back against such narratives while offering their perspectives of the period and how it affected their lives. Despite indicating he had taken responsibility for all that transpired on his watch, the book by the former Nigerian dictator has been greeted with waves of criticisms over the annulment of the election.
The Election which has been described over time by many historians and researchers of politics as the fairest, most credible in the history of the country was annulled by Babangida. Notwithstanding his expression of regret thirty-two years after the incident, there have been virulent criticisms of the former Nigerian military ruler. In the autobiography titled, ‘A Journey In Service,’ which was launched on Thursday, February 20, Babangida described the annulment of the election as an “accident of history.”
Admitting his error, Babangida said, “Although I am on record to have stated after the election that Abiola may not have won the election, upon deeper reflection and a closer examination of all the available facts, particularly the detailed election results…there was no doubt that MKO Abiola won the June 12 election.
He stressed that upon closer examination of the original collated figures from the 110,000 polling booths nationwide, it became clear that Abiola satisfied the two main constitutional requirements for winning the presidential elections, mainly majority votes and geographical spread. The election result published as an appendix to the book showed that MKO Abiola obtained 8,128,720 votes against Tofa’s 5,848,247 votes and secured the mandatory one-third of the votes cast in 28 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
Babangida pointed out that even if Abiola had been sworn in as the president, he would have been assassinated. “Unfortunately, the forces gathered against him after the June 12 elections were so formidable that I was convinced that if he became President, he would be quickly eliminated by the same very forces who pretended to be his friends,” he added. Babangida said mistakes, oversights, and poor judgements happened quickly during his tenure as head of the military administration and he accepted full responsibility for every choice he made.
“As a leader of the military administration, I accept full responsibility for all decisions taken under my watch. And June 12 happened under my watch; mistakes, oversights and missteps happened in quick succession, but I say in my book, in all matters, we acted in the supreme national interest so that Nigeria could survive.
“Our nation’s march to democracy was interrupted, a fact I deeply regret. But Nigeria’s democracy is still alive, a testament to commitment,” he noted.
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Civil society leaders, and activists, many of whom still bear the scars of the struggle for the validation of the mandate have had harsh words of rebuke and condemnation for IBB, accusing him of insincerity and trying to rewrite history. Reacting to the development, Ademola Akinlabi, a Facebook user stated that Babangida is haunted by his deeds. “The spirit of the death is hunting him, we all knew Chief MKO Abiola won it, he must come out with the fact of why he was annulled.”
On his part, Gbadebo Gbenga pointed out that the book by the former statesman is an irony of its title. “A journey of Disservice to your fatherland. You want to beat the 9-year record of Gen Yakubu Gowon and as a result, you schemed and dribbled yourself to a tight corner. Posterity shall never forgive you and your generations,” he stressed.
In his reaction to Babangida’s publication, Ajibola Amzat, the African Editor of the Centre for Collaborative Investigative Journalism in a Facebook post titled, “IBB and The Nigerian Criminal Gang” condemned the accolade showered on the former leader at the launch of the book despite his disreputable action. He bemoaned the lack of accountability, and the praises showered on the former military ruler despite what he described as the atrocious deeds.
According to Ajibola, “The old general said he was responsible for the cancellation of the election that reflected the wishes of the majority of Nigerians. He is also responsible for the killings of many Nigerians who protested the annulment. He is responsible for the killing of Dele Giwa, a journalist who tried to expose the underbelly of his administration. He is responsible for the killing of his childhood friend, Vatsa despite efforts made by eminent Nigerians to save him.
“He is responsible for taking IMF loans looted by his cronies and that plunged Nigerians into economic recession. He is responsible for the brain drain that led to the total collapse of the higher education system in Nigeria. The Evil Genius also claimed responsibility for the disappearance of the middle class within eight years of his inglorious administration. And what did he get in return for his criminal enterprise? Praise and prayers! They celebrated him.” The journalist added that in spite of Babangida’s inglorious legacy, billions were donated to build a legacy presidential library for him.
Although many internet users have condemned him and many have said that they would boycott reading his autobiography, frontline journalist and public intellectual, Gimba Kakanda opined that reading the erstwhile military leader’s book could provide more information to reinforce dislikes and hatred. Noting that every book provides unique and new information, he further stressed that people who engage in the book would return with more information to characterise the former head of state.
Similarly Nigerians on X (Formerly Twitter) have taken the opportunity to bare their minds over the June 12 saga and IBB’s role in the botched electoral mandate. Hakuna Matata @HakunaOyinz decried, “that Gen. IBB didn’t know what he had caused, that his book has opened old wounds that have been partially healed after 32 years, he’d receive all manner of backlash from Chief MKO Abiola Family and beyond.”
Maliq @MasterMaliq stated, “Babangida stands as undeniable proof that cruelty, wickedness, or moral corruption do not always lead to misery. One can embody darkness yet still bask in the finest luxuries life has to offer. The world does not always punish the villain; sometimes, it rewards him.” Another user, Opeyemi Marcus @ArakunrinSugar mentioned that Ibrahim Babangida cancelled a free and fair election which led to the death of Moshood Abiola he became a ruthless dictator Yet today, he is being celebrated Whatever you do, don’t die defending Nigeria because years later, your oppressors might be celebrated like Babangida.
On his part, kweku Ananse @Rchardkwekuyor1 accused the ruling class in the north of not only annulling the election but of assassinating Abiola. According to Oòșa_of Counsel @akorede_Psalms, “Abiola’s ambition got him and his wife assassinated, noble as it was. Unfortunately, some of his killers are alive today benefiting from the fruits of their crime. Questions are left unanswered. – Who killed Chief MKO Abiola? – Who killed Kudirat Abiola? We may never know. But someone is receiving donations and getting immortalised even after confessing to having dishonestly annulled the election that led to these crimes.”
Reacting to the massive donation that the book launch has generated, Olusegun Ifade lamented that Nigeria handsomely rewards evil perpetrators without seeking accountability and transparency.
“What a handsome reward for perpetrating a cataclysmic evil, killing perceived political enemies, abducting and jailing hundreds of human rights while few escaped his bullet, deepening socio-economy and political corruption, annulment of the most credible and fair election in 1993 and only owning up after 3 decades, today.
He added, “It pays to do evil politically against the Nigerian masses and with such rooted culture, development can’t be neither democracy and social justice can be a daily experience of the people and sometimes as a human right activist, you have to start rethinking if those sacrifices at one point in time, truly worth it.”
Corroborating Olusegun’s position, Oluwasanjo Rasak Ahmed pointed out that public figures like Babangida were supposed to be avoided like the plague. He subsequently condemned Nigerian political elites for celebrating Babangida despite his nefarious activities.
“Mamman Vasta and others wasted. Dele Giwa must be crying in his grave, seeing how Nigerians are honouring IBB—under whose watch the first letter bomb in Nigeria’s history exploded, silencing Giwa forever. A few words in IBB’s autobiography should finally seal Giwa’s fate forever. Even when IBB, who according to Max Siollun’s Soldiers of Fortune internalized “settlement” -corruption- as a culture in Nigeria, admitted that Moshood Abiola won the June 12, 1993 election, which he annulled, many clapped and cheered him on, as if he won an Olympic medal by annulling the most credible, fair, and free election in Nigeria’s history,” he added
