IBB Was Never Going To Hand Over Power, Sowore Drops Bombshell

IBB Was Never Going To Hand Over Power, Sowore Drops Bombshell

Omoyele Sowore, the former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has accused former Military President General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) of never telling the truth, especially regarding the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.……READ MORE 

Sowore’s comments came after General Babangida’s autobiography, A Journey in Service, revealed that it was former Head of State, General Sani Abacha, who annulled the election without his approval. Babangida acknowledged the annulment but claimed responsibility because it occurred during his administration.

In an interview with Nigeria Info FM on Friday, Sowore refuted Babangida’s account, calling it a false narrative. According to Sowore, IBB never intended to hand over power to a civilian government, but instead, sought to transform himself into a civilian president.

Sowore remarked, “IBB has never told the truth in his life, and I’m not surprised by his continued falsehoods. The Yoruba have a saying that when a criminal lies, he will claim that his witness is dead. This is exactly what IBB did by mentioning Abacha.”

Sowore emphasized that IBB’s administration never intended to transfer power, citing the multiple delays in the transition process, even pointing out that Bola Tinubu had made similar observations. He continued, “IBB was determined to become a civilian president, deceiving the Nigerian people until his eventual ouster in 1993, which led to his nickname, ‘Maradona.’ He later admitted to doing so much harm to Nigeria that he accepted the label of being an ‘evil genius’.”

The human rights activist called for full recognition of Moshood Abiola as the legitimate winner of the June 12 election and further urged for the prosecution of those responsible for the electoral saga. Sowore also lamented the lack of attention given to investigative journalist Dele Giwa, who was killed by a letter bomb during the same period.

Sowore emphasized, “If they acknowledge Abiola’s victory, he should rightfully be recognized as president of Nigeria. However, the priority should be to bring those responsible for these grave crimes to justice. I call for the arrest and trial of those involved in the June 12 election debacle, and I must remind everyone about the murder of Dele Giwa, which has largely been overlooked.”