Why Ibrahim Babangida Annulled Abiola’s June 12, 1993 Victory – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo in April 2021 blamed the annulment of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election adjudged to have been won by the late business mogul, Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, on “bad belle.”

The election, adjudged to be the most peaceful, credible and fair in the history of the country, was annulled by the military Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida.

Speaking shortly after his investiture as a Trustee of the Abeokuta Club, a sociocultural organisation of Egba people of Ogun State, Obasanjo expressed regrets over the cancellation of the election, lamenting its effect on the people of Abeokuta.

The former President was honoured alongside Abiola who was awarded a posthumous vice-patron of the club.

Obasanjo, who noted that the late business mogul was his schoolmate at the Baptist Boys High School (BBHS), Abeokuta, said he richly deserved the award bestowed on him by the Abeokuta Club.

“I want to thank the (Abeokuta) club for this honour being bestowed on me and the honour being bestowed on my schoolmate, MKO Abiola, which he richly deserved,” he had said.

“Kabiyesi, the Alake (of Egbaland) alluded to it. Normally when you win a cup three times, you keep that cup. Isn’t it? If not for bad belle (hatred), Abeokuta would have produced the President of Nigeria three times, in which case we should have kept it permanently.

“But be that as it may, we have a great heritage and we should be proud of our heritage.

“When Abeokuta Club was in the process of being birthed, things in Abeokuta were not as rosy as they are today. And the sons of Abeokuta, who were in Lagos, put their heads together in the late Chief Sobo Sowemimo’s house to think of what they could do to improve the development of Abeokuta as a city. I pay tributes to all those founding members, those who have departed this world and those who are still here.

 “On this note, I will say on this occasion, I thank the President, the patron and grand patron, members of Board of Trustees, the executive; I want to say this, I will continue to contribute my quota to the development and growth of this club and by extension, the development and growth of Abeokuta, of Ogun State, of Nigeria, of Africa and indeed the rest of the world in whichever way I could.”