Isaac Samuel
Former First Lady, Maryam Abacha, has faulted former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), over his claims in his autobiography that blamed her late husband, General Sani Abacha, for the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
In an interview aired on TVC on Sunday monitored by this medium, the former First Lady insisted that the annulment of what is widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest election was not masterminded by her husband.
The interview was anchored by Femi Akande.
She described the allegation as unfair and politically motivated, especially since the late General is no longer alive to defend himself.
Her reaction is coming just days before the 32nd anniversary of the annulled election, marked annually as Democracy Day on June 12.
“I’m not here to talk about Babangida or anybody. I don’t wish to talk about anything or anybody. All I know is that that annulment was not done by my husband, and then if it was him, then that means he was very powerful.
“That means he was even more powerful than the president, and if the president is there and somebody else is calling the shots, then that means Abacha was the greatest”, she said.
It would be recalled that IBB launched his autobiography, A Journey of Service, on February 20, 2025, giving a personal account of his regime, which began on August 27, 1985, and lasted until August 26, 1993.
In the memoir, Babaginda claimed that Abacha, who was then Chief of Defence Staff annulled the June 12 election without his (Babangida’s) approval.
Babangida revealed that he was in Katsina when the announcement came without his knowledge or approval that the election had been annulled.
According to him, the forces behind the annulment were led by Abacha who would later seize power and rule as military head of state.
Babangida, who had delivered a national broadcast on June 24, 1993, to formally announce the annulment, claimed that Abacha had grown too powerful within the factionalised military, making it nearly impossible to remove him after stepping down from office in August 1993.
The election, believed to have been won by late businessman and politician, Chief M.K.O. Abiola, remains a major historical flashpoint in Nigeria’s democratic journey.
While also reacting to lingering controversies surrounding funds allegedly looted during her husband’s regime, the former First Lady questioned the authenticity of the claims.
She asked those making the claims to present credible evidence.
The former first lady said: “Who is the witness of the monies that were being stashed? Did you see the signature or the evidence of any monies stashed abroad? And the monies that my husband kept for Nigeria, in a few months, the monies vanished.
“People are not talking about that. Why are you blaming somebody for something? Is that tribalism or a religious problem? Or what is the problem with Nigerians? I pray for Nigerians. I pray for all of us.
“I pray that we should have goodness in our hearts. We should stop telling lies and blaming people. Why are we so bad towards each other? Because somebody is a Northerner or a Southerner, somebody is a Muslim or a Christian, or somebody is nice.
“It’s not fair. I think the press should try. You, the press, should try to educate the people.
“You are here to educate the people, to inform the people, and to entertain. You are here to help the country. You are not here to bastardize people.”
