ABUJA, Nigeria (CHATNEWSTV) — The family of the late Gen. Sani Abacha has dismissed claims by former Head of State Gen. Ibrahim Babangida that Abacha was responsible for annulling Nigeria’s June 12, 1993, presidential election.
In his newly released autobiography, A Journey in Service, Babangida acknowledged that the election—widely believed to have been won by Social Democratic Party candidate MKO Abiola—was annulled under his watch. He described the decision as an “accident of history” and blamed military officers led by Abacha, then his Chief of Defence Staff, for acting “without his permission.”
In a statement on Sunday, signed by his son Mohammed Abacha, the Abacha family rejected the allegations, accusing Babangida of distorting history to shift blame.
“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.
The family insisted that Abacha had no authority over the decision, as he was not the Head of State at the time.
“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,” the family added. “For years, various actors have attempted to rewrite the history of that critical period in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.”
Warning against what they called “revisionist narratives,” the Abacha family urged Nigerians to critically assess attempts 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.
The family also criticized Babangida’s autobiography for failing to present a truthful account of the events leading to the annulment.
“We regret that A Journey in Service missed the opportunity and failed to make history as a truthful and objective account of past events,” they said. “As one public commentator aptly put it, honesty, sincerity, and integrity are virtues not commonly associated with the author.”
The annulment of the June 12 election remains one of Nigeria’s most controversial political decisions, with debates over responsibility continuing decades later.
