₦airaland Forum

General Ibrahim Babangida, Nigeria's former Head of State, has said nobody gave him credit for the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

He stated this in an exclusive interview with The Crest.

Babangida spoke of the intricacies surrounding the election, and the details of what led to the annulment.

His words: "I think people who said that have not been fair to me because when we started the transition programme, I was in the media; I said we will be doing it step by step, by learning. Wherever we met a hiccup, we will stop, change it and move again. On this, I was honest with Nigerians. I told them that, and they would have judged me with what I said on that particular issue. But everybody wanted the military to just leave. But I did say it, that in the process of implementation, we may have a hiccup or mistake. And if we do, we would pause, correct it and then move on.

"Even the transition after the June 12, we gave a time span which again nobody was patient with. But we studied, we compared to either have a non-conventional election or a general election. And everybody said they wanted to see the country carry out a general election. And you can’t just have a general election within seven days. You have to plan for it. Again, if people allowed us, we said there would be a general election in this country. I think Abacha came in November. Nobody wanted to listen. Everybody was tired. I appreciate that. I appreciate it. Yes, people were bored and we envisaged it and we said it. We warned you in advance that if this happens, this is our next step. And that led us to the famous June 12."

Responding to the interviewer's statement that read: "June 12 is considered the freest and fairest election…", Babangida said: "And nobody wants to give me credit for it".

On June 12, 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari tendered a national apology to the family of Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, for the annulment of the election by Ibrahim Babangida, the then Military President.


When asked why he didn't take the opportunity to support the 1993 democratic process, Babangida said: "Everybody said so. I agree. Even my boss, OBJ, told me that. He said you had an opportunity and if that had gone through properly, history would have recorded it as your greatest achievement. But then, we discussed at length what could have transpired. Again this: I will always talk about the Nigerian mentality. I think we are always anxious. We are always in a hurry. We want things to get done in the fastest time possible time. I tried to go out and talk to the public on why we had to do this but we were overwhelmed with criticisms. Nobody wanted to listen".

He also revealed plans to release his memoir, stating that: "It is a work in progress. It is in the works. I will have time to finish it. It will be soon".

Afterwards came the question on if he was threatened at the time by General Sani Abacha on being head of state, to which he responded: "No, he couldn’t have threatened me, to be fair to him. But I knew he wanted that job at all cost. You will be reading it…"

Speaking further on why he decided on the annulment, Babangida continued: "I have a conviction that if I get involved in building this environment, I wouldn’t like to be seen as having the environment destroyed. That’s number one. I wouldn’t be part of the destruction. So, I either make sure I remain with it, and belong there, or a circumstance will come and, eventually, I will leave. When I leave, if it gets destroyed, nobody will blame me.

"I wouldn’t declare the result if (Professor Humphrey) Nwosu declared the result. I knew deep into this that there were consequences which will not be fair to this country. I give an example: I took part in the management of PDP and I can’t disown them because I’m part of them. I made an input into its emergence, and if you say it is the worst thing that could ever happen to the country, I cannot in all conscience sit down and say it is because I participated in it. If the transition failed, and I knew it would have fallen down, nobody would have been bothered. They will say no. I will feel guilty like after all I spent the money but it collapsed. My conscience will never forgive me.

"It was not a threat to my life but if it was a threat to my life, I have no problem. After all I have a bullet in me; there couldn’t have been any greater threat than that. But my fear was: what would the country end up becoming. Could the country be better? This was what we sought to establish. Could it better? If the answer is no, then, I take the blame because I should have put in place certain measures that will make it good. What we wanted was an enduring legacy.

"I wouldn’t say the evil was in the person who won the election, after all he campaigned for it, people saw in him what he stood for, and therefore decided to vote for him. It was the finest hour in Nigerian political history where people voted anyhow; not ethnically, religiously and so on. That was our finest moment in our political history. He (Abiola) was on the verge of winning that election. From what I saw, he was on the verge of winning that election, because by the time it was assumed that he won, officially, the official thing was not done. Results were still coming in, and it wasn’t declared. So, I think I would be deceiving myself if I say he has won.

"The credit of not getting it right? You wouldn’t give me; so, I accepted that I will not be given that credit no matter what I say."

http://saharareporters.com/2018/12/08/nobody-wants-give-me-credit-june-12-93-election-says-babangida

I doubt our generation of Nigerians will ever forgive or forget the June 12 episode until a time when Nigeria begins to see real progress.

However, Babangida’s influence is needed to make Buhari lose the election in Niger state. Back to Daura is more important now than focusing on memories of Nigeria’s ugly past.

History will never forgive You sir

You were forced to and your legacy in Nigeria is best forgotten.

SIR!

Buhahahaha...i am just short of words aswear....

It is paining this man that he's so inconsequential now...when u had d time and power to write ur name in gold, u goofed...so u are now looking for avenues to keep ur name in circulation....too late...u can't eat ur cake and have it


Only if this God forsaken thief hadn't sabotaged the best elections of all time in d history of Nigeria...

Babangida, u deyy madt..... I blame people way still dey hear ur dirty talk... U r very madt Evil genius

Evil man

Imagine if the 2015 elections were cancelled, by now people would have been thinking that Buhari was the best president we never had.

Give u credit for cancelling the election or conducting the election

Ehn....give me ur phone number, let me send u 1,500# credit to u....oponu

May your name perish in annals of nigerian's history.

H

Thunder fire you there...useless man.
All these people we should have given
the guillotine treatment, they still come
back and rob poo on our faces.
Osi.

Incoherent ,vague comment by maradona himself

Babaginda is the biggest theif in Nigerian history.

He looted the Nigerian treasury of billions.

________________________________________________________

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUDnuvsfG8U

Send your digits lemme top you up

Since Atikus emergence as PDP flag bearer all thieves in Nigeria have found their voices....
Smh

on what basis fa?

Who the June 12 help, Oga?

Kai this foolish man ba

Credit for messing up our currency till date

It shall not be well with you

Sir. ..history can never forgive u. Thank u

Meanwhile

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No roll back. 

Vin included.

God punish you.

oya whic network you dey use...ma send you the credit make you rest

Make una dey hear stinking words from the one and only Maradona

bloody devil!!! i hope u remain crippled

Iberiberism northern version...in a sane country u nd ur paralysed legs would have been thrown into d den of a loin ....u know d rest