Lekan Abiola, son of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola—the presumed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election—has disclosed that former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida (retd.), privately apologised to the Abiola family over the controversial annulment.
He made this revelation during the MKO Abiola Memorial Symposium and an event in Lagos marking the preparations for the launch of a forthcoming book titled “MKO Abiola: Symbol of Democracy.”
Speaking with journalists at the event, Lekan confirmed that the family had met with Babangida after returning from the United States and received a personal apology.
“We have met IBB and he has apologised privately to us. What he did recently by publicly admitting that MKO won and that he was sorry for annulling the election was simply repeating publicly what he had earlier said to us in private. Every year, he sends a representative to mark June 12 with us,” he said.
Lekan described Babangida’s public admission as symbolically important and long overdue. “Before now, it was like someone hit you in public but only apologised in private. Now, by acknowledging the truth openly, it brings some measure of closure.”
He added that Babangida’s public admission helped to validate MKO Abiola’s widely held electoral victory, laying to rest lingering doubts. “Some people used to ask, ‘Are we even sure he won the election?’ But with Babangida now releasing the full results and confirming it publicly, the controversy is over.”
Meanwhile, DIP Connects Online News reported that Abiola’s children have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to enact a bill that would legally establish June 12 as Democracy Day, making it permanent and beyond the reach of future policy reversals.
ADEOLA KUNLE
