Afenifere slams IBB’s belated admission on Abiola’s June 12, 1993 election victory as hollow, too little, too late

Unimpressed by ex-Head of State Ibrahim Babangida’s admission that the late Chief MKO Abiola won the June 12, 1993 presidential poll, the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has thrown the army general under the bus, saying the so-called remorse rings hollow and belated.

“The so-called remorse rings hollow, for true atonement is measured not by words but by actions. His admission, far from being redemptive.. it is belated and insufficient,” Afenifere said in reaction to Babangida’s confession about 32 years after the historic announcement of Abiola’s election results.

Afenifere”s Organising Secretary, Mr. Kole Omololu, in a statement said IBB’s public admission of Abiola’s victory, did not absolve him and his associates of the irreversible damage the annulment had caused.

Persecondnews reported that Babangida had on Thursday during the launch of his autobiography, ‘A Journey in Service,’ said: “Although I am on record to have stated after the election that Abiola may not have won the election, upon deeper reflection and a closer examination of all the available facts, particularly the detailed election results…there was no doubt that MKO Abiola won the June 12 election.

“Upon closer examination of the original collated figures from the 110,000 polling booths nationwide, it was clear that he satisfied the two main constitutional requirements for winning the presidential elections, mainly majority votes and geographical spread, having obtained 8,128,720 votes against Tofa’s 5,848,247 votes and securing the mandatory one-third of the votes cast in 28 states of the federation, including Abuja.

“His belated acknowledgement that the election was indisputably free, fair, and credible merely reaffirms what Nigerians have known for over three decades—that Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola was the rightful winner of that historic election.

“However, this long-overdue confession cannot exonerate Babangida and his associates from the monumental betrayal inflicted upon the nation.

“It does not restore the lives lost, nor does it atone for the enduring scars of oppression, bloodshed, and the suppression of democracy. The consequences of that reckless annulment remain irreversible.

“The Yoruba nation, and indeed all Nigerians, bore the brunt of Babangida’s self-serving power grab. His decision plunged the country into chaos and ushered in an era of state-sponsored terror against democracy activists, pro-democracy media, and innocent citizens who dared to demand justice.”

Afenifere said the consequences of the annulment of the election by the IBB administration led to the assassinations of Abiola’s wife, Kudirat, Pa Alfred Rewane, and others.

“Many distinguished Yoruba sons and daughters suffered grave injustices—exiled, imprisoned, or tragically eliminated—under the despotic military regimes of Babangida and Abacha, which were determined to silence the will of the people.”

Afenifere insisted that Abiola must be posthumously accorded all privileges and recognitions befitting a legitimately elected President.

“We reiterate our unequivocal demand that his (Abiola’s) name must be inscribed in the annals of Nigeria’s history, not as a mere political casualty but as the rightful President-elect who was denied the opportunity to serve.

“Anything short of this remains a continued affront to justice and historical truth.

“Afenifere salutes MKO Abiola as a towering symbol of courage, a visionary whose unwavering commitment to democracy was matched only by his willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice for the emancipation of his people.

“Babangida’s so-called remorse rings hollow, for true atonement is measured not by words but by actions. His admission, far from being redemptive, serves only as a reminder of the grievous wrongs that remain unaddressed,” the statement said.