Babangida Should Apologise To Nigerians

By Godwin Afam Nkemdiche

As recently reported in the media, the heir of the widely acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 Nigerian presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, Kolawole Abiola used the occasion of the 32 anniversary of the controversial annulment of that election to remind the Federal Government of Nigeria that there are many more heroes and heroines of the June 12 election that are yet to be recognised and honoured.

*Babangida 

He also used the occasion, according to the same reports, to inform the world that the Culprit-in-Chief of that vexatious annulment, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida has yet to apologise to the Abiola family. Weighty pronouncements those, more so the latter. An unreserved apology from IBB to the spirit of MKO Abiola and his family is a necessary step to attaining a holistic closure on the June 12 presidential election.

One couldn’t agree more with Kolawole Abiola. In point of facts, l actually issued an intervention to that effect on the 27 anniversary, entitled “Abiola deserves apology, not humour,” published in The Guardian Newspapers on the June 13 2020. On that occasion then-president Muhammadu Buhari conferred National Honours on our democratically elected president that never was. My article simply made the point that an unreserved apology would weigh far more than any National Honours that could be conferred on the late politician.

Indeed, it is a huge wonder that such a logical imperative hasn’t dawned on IBB, 32 years following, and in spite of the “sunset of life.” His autobiography which was launched in Abuja a couple of months since, ought to have been a veritable platform from which to make a sweeping apology to not only the Abiolas, but also to Nigerians in general.

Though l confess to have not even set eyes on a copy of the book let alone read it, and l doubt very much if l ever would, but Kolawole’s recent remarks suggest that Nigeria’s only military ex-president remains as unapologetic as ever on the June 12 controversy. IBB merely deludes himself by playing the ostrich, he has a lot of apologising to make for more reasons than one on the June 12 palaver.

For starters, there is that whole generation of so-called old or discredited politicians which IBB dictatorially banned from participating in the June 12, 1993 presidential election; that significant fact seems to have dimmed in our collective memory. Among those banned politicians were some citizens who had served the country with distinction at another time and space, yet IBB’s hidden agenda didn’t deter him. The injustice of that diabolic ban is on the same level as the annulment of the results of the election itself.

Even if, as IBB and his co-travelers claimed at the time, most of those old politicians had credibility challenges, it wasn’t in their place to permanently shut them out politically: that prerogative belongs to the Nigerian electorate. Elsewhere, so-called discredited politicians, and even convicted politicians have contested and won elections, inclusive of presidential elections. Incumbent U.S.-president, Donald Trump campaigned and finally won his country’s highest office, first as a discredited politician, then as a convicted person! Always, the ultimate verdict lay with the electorate, in there lay the majesty of democracy.

Therefore, all those who were banned from the June 12, presidential election also deserve an unreserved apology from IBB. (That diabolic ban diminishes that election’s claim of being Nigeria’s freest and fairest presidential election, but that’s a topic for another day, another generation perhaps).

Secondly, there was that most revealing press release by MKO Abiola prior to going into hiding – that telling fact also appear blunted in our collective memory. The late politician had informed the world that two days before the annulment of that election, he received a curious telephone call from IBB, requesting him to come to Abuja for the two of them to discuss power-sharing arrangements: he IBB would be president, while MKO Abiola would be prime minister. Abiola informed he refused the proposal out-of-hand, reminding his caller that he didn’t run for the office of prime minister, but president, he would therefore not settle for less. IBB then ended the call by telling Abiola he would hear from him in two days… June 26, on the day the election results were finally annulled.

Apparently, the Evil Genius had reasoned that a multi-religious electorate would decidedly reject MKO Abiola’s Muslim/Muslim SDP ticket, thereby handing victory to Bashir Tofa’s Muslim/Christian NRC ticket. Tofa had been hitherto a little known face who owed his sudden emergence as a leading national politician to IBB. But when emerging results faulted his scheming, he panicked; and in his confusion he made that awkward call to his pal in Lagos.

And, when the wrath of the Democratic World forced him from office, IBB was reported to have locked up the presidential villa proper and took the keys with him back to his home in Niger state. The Head of the Interim government which he conveniently concocted, Chief Ernest Shonekan had to make do with the presidential guest house(!!!).

Ah! What revelations! In all those years IBB purported to be organising a presidential election preparatory to handing over power to a civilian national government, he had cold-heartedly lied to his innocent compatriots, men, women, children, Christians, Muslims, pagans, and all. We begin to see the reason behind that curious coinage, ‘Evil Genius’.

But, as we learn from the Arts, Evil Geniuses are a fixture in tragic comedies. Life as in fiction, IBB’s 1993 comedy ended tragically for Project Nigeria.

Since 1993 Nigeria has been on a steep decline, her darkest years – the Abacha years, following hotly on the heels of IBB. That tragic trend persists to this day in spite of 26 years of unbroken democracy. Though a tiny window for redemption yet exists: a broad apology from the Protagonist of Nigeria’s extant bitter decline would significantly blunt that bitterness to the point of triggering a holistic healing process, thus finally laying June 12, to rest.

*Nkemdiche is a commentator on public issues