Ex-Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has said that MKO Abiola was a victim of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election because of the N45bn contract debt that was owed him by the military government of the late Gen. Murtala Mohammed. He recently revealed that the military failed to settle the billions they owed Abiola after Gen. Mohammed died.
Speaking in Abuja during the public presentation of his autobiography titled “Being True to Myself,” Lamido revealed that after Mohammed’s death, the military decided to annul the election amid fear that Abiola would recover the N45bn debt and bankrupt Nigeria if sworn in as President.
According to him, President Bola Tinubu must work on paying Abiola’s family the alleged N45bn debt in order to bring closure to the June 12 saga, especially after General Ibrahim Babangida confirmed that Abiola actually won the election that year.
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“When (General) Murtala (Muhammed) died, Abiola came in with a claim that he was owed, I think, about N45bn for contracts executed by International Telephone and Telecommunication for the Ministry of Communications. The military high command at that time said no. He went round the Emirs in the North to lobby and the Emirs asked that they (military) should please pay the money.
They (military) said they cancelled the June 12 elections because if they made him President, he would take his money and the country would become bankrupt. Those who were close to Abacha should know this, because Abacha was then one of the big shots; they were all aware.
Before I end my remarks, I want to appeal to President Tinubu to finally close the chapter of June 12.
In his book, General Ibrahim Babangida acknowledged that Abiola won the election. When I visited him, he also confirmed that Abiola is owed N45bn. He was doubly punished: first, denied the presidency; second, denied what is owed to him,” he said.
He then appealed to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammad Idris Malagi, to ensure his message gets to the President because it is the right thing to do.
“Please tell the President to pay the Abiola family the N45bn. Once this is done, the June 12 chapter will be closed. It is very important,” he added.
