The family of the late General Sani Abacha has dismissed allegations made by former Head of State General Ibrahim Babangida, who claimed Abacha played a key role in annulling the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
In his newly released autobiography, A Journey in Service, Babangida admitted he regretted the annulment and acknowledged that the election was won by the Social Democratic Party’s candidate, MKO Abiola.
He described the decision as an “accident of history” and blamed Abacha, who was his Chief of Defence Staff at the time, for carrying out the move “without his permission.”
Responding in a statement on Sunday, March 9, Abacha’s son, Mohammed Abacha, rejected Babangida’s assertions, insisting that his father was not the Head of State or Commander-in-Chief when the election was annulled. He accused Babangida of distorting history to shift responsibility.
“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 read.
“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.”
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The Abacha family also warned Nigerians to be cautious of what they called “revisionist narratives” aimed at manipulating public perception for political reasons.
“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 continued.
They further criticised Babangida’s book, arguing that it failed to provide an honest account of history.
“We regret that A Journey in Service missed the opportunity and failed to make history as a truthful and objective account of past events.
“As one public commentator aptly put it, honesty, sincerity, and integrity are virtues not commonly associated with the author.”