Babangida By no means Meant To Go away Energy — Falana Reveals IBB's Plot To Block June 12 Election Outcomes

Foremost human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has acknowledged that former navy dictator, Ibrahim Babangida, intentionally truncated the June 12, 1993, presidential election course of in a bid to stay in energy.

Falana made the claims in a current interview that surfaced on-line on Thursday night, the place he provided contemporary insights into the annulment of what’s broadly thought to be Nigeria’s freest and fairest election.

In keeping with him, Babangida had no intention of relinquishing energy after years of navy rule however as an alternative sought to transition right into a civilian president.

“It was an try to, you realize, once more, Babangida was not going to go. He wasn’t going to depart energy,” Falana mentioned. “He wished to metamorphose from a navy dictator right into a civilian.”

He defined that though Babangida had dominated for eight years, he had initially created a managed political setting by banning a number of politicians earlier than introducing two government-created political events — the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Nationwide Republican Conference (NRC).

“See, he was banning everyone till he bumped into an issue. So when he grew to become snug, he had banned most politicians,” Falana mentioned. 

“He then grew to become snug when the 2 events decreed by him —.NRC and SDP —produced two of his associates.”

Falana recognized the candidates as Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola of the SDP and Bashir Tofa of the NRC.

“So he was snug. I’m certain he was anticipating both of them to face down for him in the event that they gained,” he added.

Nevertheless, Falana famous that the scenario modified when it grew to become clear that pronouncing the election outcomes would sign the tip of navy rule. 

“However what occurred was that he didn’t need the outcomes of the election introduced as a result of that may have been the tip of navy rule,” he mentioned. “So halfway into the declaration of the outcomes, he stopped it. He used the court docket to cease it.”

Falana additionally dismissed Babangida’s oft-cited justification that his “arms have been tied” in annulling the election.

“However he mentioned his arms have been tied. No, his arms weren’t tied. He tied his personal arms. His ambition tied his personal arms,” Falana mentioned. “I imply, how can a soldier say your arms are tied? Our personal arms weren’t tied as civilians.”

He additional revealed that pro-democracy activists, underneath the aegis of the Marketing campaign for Democracy, took steps to counter the federal government’s actions by publishing the election outcomes independently.

“However what occurred was that when the outcomes have been concluded, the election outcomes have been recognized,” he mentioned. 

“Underneath the Marketing campaign for Democracy then, led by the late Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, they known as a gathering. And we determined on the assembly that we have been going to publish the outcomes of the election. And we did.”

Falana defined that regardless of the federal government’s ban on saying the outcomes, activists went forward to make them public.

“Privately, independently? No, the federal government had banned the announcement of the outcomes. However since we had the outcomes, we revealed it,” he mentioned.

He additionally credited the then Chairman of the Nationwide Electoral Fee, Humphrey Nwosu, because the supply of the election outcomes.

“It was Humphrey Nwosu, I feel. Sure. He was the top of the Nationwide Electoral Fee,” Falana acknowledged.

The June 12, 1993 election, believed to have been gained by Abiola, was annulled by the Babangida-led navy authorities, triggering widespread protests and a protracted political disaster that formed Nigeria’s democratic journey.

Recall that in his memoir, A Journey In Service, launched on the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja on Thursday, February 20, 2025, Babangida blamed the late dictator Basic Sani Abacha for the annulment of the 1993 presidential election and accused him of plotting to overthrow his authorities violently.

Within the 420-page e-book, Babangida delves into the controversies surrounding the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which was gained by the late MKO Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). 

He described the annulment as an “accident of historical past” and expressed deep remorse over the incident.