- “Why I was nicknamed ‘evil genius’, ‘Maradona'”
Nigeria’s former Military President, Gen Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, rtd, on Friday explained why his junta annulled the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
He spoke during an interview with Arise TV, explaining that the nicknames were manufactured by the media because of his “deft political moves”.
The election, adjudged by most Nigerians, local and international observers as the most popular, freest and fairest ever in the nation’s democratic experience, was contested between Chief Moshood Abiola of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Alhaji Bashir Tofa of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC).
The annulment threw Nigeria into a deeper political crisis and protracted pro-democracy struggles, during which many compatriots and activists were killed either through bombs or bullets and their properties destroyed by agents suspected to be linked with the ruling military dictatorship headed by the late Gen Sani Abacha. Those killed included wife of the presumed winner of the annulled election, the multimillionaire newspaper baron, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, Kudirat Olayinka; Chief Alfred Rewane and many others.
Many others including Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka, Senator Bola Tinubu, and Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, fled into exile.
Abiola, who insisted on retrieving his popular mandate via his annulled election, later died in detention under the supervision of the military dictatorship, in controversial circumstances.
The National Democratic Coalition, headed by late Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin and later late Chief Abraham Aderibigbe Adesanya, and including prominent principled leaders from across the country, as the arrowhead of the pro-democracy struggles, fought the military junta to a standstill until the junta headed by Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar, rtd, voluntarily abdicated power and handed over to a civilian administration headed by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in October 1999.
Many media houses and journalists were persecuted by the junta for their fearless reportage of the pro democracy struggles. Some journalists were killed while some media houses were bombed or shut down. Examples are the publisher of The Guardian, Mr Alex Ibru, who was shot; The Guardian itself which was closed down; Mr Bagauda Kaltho and many others.
Babangida explained that if he had not annulled the election, a violent coup d’etat would have happened, saying: “If it materialised, there would’ve been a coup d’etat — which could have been violent. That’s all I can confirm.
“It didn’t happen thanks to the engineering and the ‘maradonic’ way we handled you guys in the society. But that could’ve given room for more instability in the country.”
Babangida said there was pressure on his junta within and outside the military to nullify the election for that reason.
“Both. The military can do it because they have the weapons to do it, and others (civil society groups) can use agitation,” he added.
He also explained why he was nicknamed “evil genius” and “Maradona.”
According to the former Military President: “That’s the very good thing about the Nigerian media and Nigerian people; you have to anticipate them.
Weeks after, late military dictator General Sani Abacha stagged a coup that usurped the interim government to return Nigeria to military rule.
The Nigerian government in 2018 announced that June 12 would be celebrated in the country as Democracy Day – a national holiday. The day was hitherto marked on May 29. Nigeria’s first elected in about three decades was sworn in on May 29, 1999.
“June 12th, 1993 was the day when Nigerians in millions expressed their democratic will in what was undisputedly the freest, fairest and most peaceful elections since our Independence,” President Muhammadu Buhari said in a statement on June 6, 2018.
“The fact that the outcome of that election was not upheld by the then military Government does not distract from the democratic credentials of that process.
“Accordingly, after due consultations, the Federal government has decided that henceforth, June 12th will be celebrated as Democracy Day.”
