Abacha’s family berates IBB’s claim on June 12 annulment

Abacha’s family berates IBB’s claim on June 12 annulment

The family of the late General Sani Abacha has berated the claims by former Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) that the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, was responsible for the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.

In his recently launched autobiography, A Journey in Service in Abuja, Babangida had expressed regrets at the annulment when he acknowledged that the Social Democratic Party’s candidate, the late MKO Abiola, won the election.

IBB who described the annulment as an “accident of history,” heaped the blame on military officers who, he claimed, were led by Abacha, who was then his Chief of Defence Staff, for the controversial decision.

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IBB also alleged that the decision was taken “without his permission.”

But in a statement signed by his son, Mohammed Abacha, on Sunday, Abacha’s family rebuffed IBB’s claims.

The family accused IBB of attempting to distort historical facts and shift blame.

The late dictator’s family insisted that Abacha was neither the Head of State nor the Commander-in-Chief at the time of the annulment of the election won fairly and freely by MKO.

“The decision to annul the election was made under the administration of General Ibrahim Babangida, who, as the then Head of State, held absolute executive powers and was solely responsible for the actions of his government,” the statement said.

“Any attempt to shift this blame onto General Sani Abacha, who was a very senior military officer within the regime, is a deliberate distortion of historical facts. For years, various actors have attempted to rewrite the history of that critical period in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.”

The Abacha family also urged Nigerians to be cautious of what they termed “revisionist narratives” intended to manipulate public perception for political gain.

“We urge Nigerians to be wary of revisionist narratives that seek to manipulate public perception for personal or political reasons.

“The memory of our late father and leader, General Sani Abacha, must not be tarnished by baseless accusations meant to absolve those who were truly responsible,” the statement added.

The family upbraided IBB’s autobiography for failing to demonstrate an honest account of events.

“We regret that A Journey in Service missed the opportunity and failed to make history as a truthful and objective account of past events,” it said in the statement.

“As one public commentator aptly put it, honesty, sincerity, and integrity are virtues not commonly associated with the author.”

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Abacha’s family berates IBB’s claim on June 12 annulment