Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa, says President Bola
Tinubu supported Ibrahim Babangida, former military head of state, in the
annulment of the June 12, 1993 election.
Speaking in an interview on Arise Television on Saturday,
Lamido said Tinubu was not among the pro-democracy activists who resisted the
annulment.
The election, widely regarded as the most credible in
Nigeria’s history, was presumably won by MKO Abiola, the flagbearer of the
Social Democratic Party (SDP).
It was, however, annulled by the military regime of
Babangida — a development that led to many years of civil agitations.
During the election, Tinubu was a senator on the platform of
the SDP while Lamido was the party’s national secretary.
Recently, the president honoured several individuals for
their roles in the June 12 struggle and broader democratic movements.
Speaking on the pro-democracy fight, Lamido said Tinubu
became relevant after Sani Abacha, the former military leader, took over power.
The former Jigawa governor described Tinubu as a “major
supporter” of Babangida.
He said many of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO)
activists were not part of the June 12 campaign against the military
administration of Babangida.
Lamido claimed that NADECO came to the limelight during the
resistance of the military administration of Abacha.
He added that it is amusing that Tinubu is “dramatising his
own role in Nigerian democracy”.
“I feel highly entertained by Tinubu’s rhetoric. The way he
is dramatising his own role in Nigerian democracy,” he said.
“Luckily, we were all alive. We were all there and
participants in that affair of political history. I was in the middle of it.
Tinubu became relevant and noticeable after Abacha took over the government.
“With all respect to him, he was part of those people who
supported Babangida’s annulment of June 12. He was part of them. His own
mother, Haija Mogaji from Lagos, organised the Lagos market women to Abuja to
support Babangida.
“I’m saying this because it is history. I mean no harm or disrespect. He was actively hand-in-glove with Babangida. Tinubu, after being Nigerian president, decided to rewrite and deconstruct history. It is very amusing.
“He was part of Babangida’s supporters on June 12. It was
when Abacha took over the government that Tinubu became the so-called activist
of June 12.
“All those NADECO (activists), where were they on June 11?
They were not part of the June 12 campaign and activities. He was a major
supporter of Babangida.”
Lamido claimed that Tinubu “ran away from the country”
during the days of anti-military protests when he(Lamido) and others stayed
back to fight the junta.
He added that he is ready to join any political arrangement
to remove Tinubu from office in 2027.
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