A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, says the manner the annulment the June 12, 1993 presidential election, which was won by the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola was announced came as a rude shock.
Speaking in an interview on NTA, Kingibe, who was Abiola’s running mate on the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) said the major political actors at that time, including military president, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), MKO Abiola, himself and other political actors were in Katsina for the burial of Shehu Musa Yar’Adua’s father on the day of the announcement.
According to him, after the burial, they all saw off IBB to the airport and returned to Katsina Government House to hear that the election had been annuled.
Kingibe said what shocked everybody was the fact that throughout the burial, IBB interacted well with everyone and never showed any sign he was aware that a decision had been taken to annul the election.
He said “Infact, many of the actors were in Katsina at the burial of the father of Shehu Musa Yar’Aadua. His father died and we all went to Katsina for the burial. President Babangida was there; MKO Abiola was there, many of the political actors were there. I was also there and we had seen off the president at the airport”.
“We then came back to Katsina Government House to have lunch and it was there the rumour started flying that there was an announcement. There was no author, there was no authority sighted, it was just that the election had been stopped. My reaction was one of incredibility because President Babangida was with us at the burial ceremony and he had just left”.
” Clearly, the way he interacted with everybody did not indicate to me that he had foreknowledge of a decision that he might have taken before coming to Katsina. I didn’t believe it”.
“MKO Abiola i believe had left town by that time. I left thereafter, we came back only to confirm that actually, yes the announcement of the results have been stopped and the election has been put on hold. It was quite frankly an ambush for which nobody was prepared”.
“It took quite a while for everybody to first believe what they heard. We were bewildered, we were stunned because of the absolute impossibility of anybody trying to stop the election at that point in time. We were all shocked”.
When asked if the late MKO Abiola had any pact with the late Sani Abacha to return his mandate to him, Kingibe said “I understood that Chief Abiola had series of discussions with General Abacha and he was given assurances about his mandate being returned to him”.
“Chief Abiola never really told me the details of their discussions but from what i have gathered, that is the kind of impression that was given. So, he was very enthusiastic. He welcome the coup of General Abacha. If you remember, he went to congratulate him”.
