IBB admits fearing MKO Abiola’s effectiveness as president following June 12 election results

Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, Nigeria’s former Military Head of State, has candidly admitted his concerns regarding the potential effectiveness of late Chief MKO Abiola as president following the historic June 12, 1993, presidential election.

In a revelation made in his newly launched memoir, A Journey in Service, Babangida opened up about the internal divisions within the military at the time. He explained how factions emerged—one group staunchly opposed to the transition to civil rule, and another, which felt the military should honor its commitment and hand over power to a democratically elected government.

Babangida spoke at length about the growing tensions in the country, exacerbated by a series of unfounded conspiracy theories that sought to justify the annulment of the election results.

“Tensions in the country were compounded by baseless conspiracy theories meant to justify the annulment. One such theory was that Abiola had penciled down a list of top military officers to be dismissed upon assuming office as president,” Babangida recounted.

He continued: “Another conspiracy theory was that the government had let the June 12 elections go ahead in the knowledge, based on security reports, that Tofa would win. However, once Abiola won, the government sought a way to frustrate his mandate.”

Babangida further explained that these baseless theories were circulated by those who opposed an Abiola presidency, with some expressing doubts even before the election. “Some persons indeed expressed their reservations about an Abiola presidency before the elections. There were times when, deep down inside me, even I feared that Abiola might not be an effective president,” he admitted.

However, the former leader emphasized his commitment to the democratic process, stating, “Having allowed the process to go ahead in which Abiola appeared to have emerged victorious in an election deemed the freest and fairest in our country’s history, I was committed to ensuring that the results should stand. To do otherwise would amount to a subversion of the will of the Nigerian people.”