Jamiu Abiola, the Senior Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Linguistics and Foreign Affairs, has berated former military Head of State, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, IBB, for claiming that late dictator, Sani Abacha annulled MKO Abiola’s victory in the 1993 presidential election.
He described Babangida’s claim of Abacha annulling the election as “tales by moonlight.”
Jamiu wondered why IBB had to admit only recently that Abiola won the 1993 presidential election in his book “A Journey in Service.”
Following the annulment of the 1993 presidential election, Abiola was subsequently arrested and imprisoned for allegedly attempting to overthrow the then military regime.
Abacha died on June 8, 1997, while Abiola died on July 7 the same year.
However, speaking on Channels Television, the presidential aide, who is Abiola’s son, said former Military Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar should have made the announcement after Abacha died and his father should have been allowed to have access to proper medical checkup.
He said: “He (IBB) mentioned that the election was annulled by General Abacha but all of that is tales by moonlight.
“If that was the case, nothing stopped him from bringing up that when General Abacha died, to General Abdulsalami, who is also from Niger State and a good friend of his, to say: ‘I was forced to annul this election because General Abacha wanted to kill MKO Abiola.
“Now, MKO Abiola is in jail. Why don’t you release him to get a medical checkup as opposed to him eventually dying in jail?’
“Even if he didn’t tell Abdulsalami to de-annul the election, at least let him go to have a medical checkup and Abacha was dead.
“If Abacha was the problem, they could have come up with the result.
“This result that was announced in his book could have been announced when General Abdulsalami came into power and they could have allowed him to get a medical checkup. Maybe he would have survived,” Jamiu said.
Saying Abacha annulled 1993 presidential election is tales – Abiola’s son tackles IBB
