ABUJA, Nigeria (Chatnewstv.com) — Former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido has accused President Bola Tinubu of supporting the annulment of the historic June 12, 1993, presidential election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest poll.
Speaking in an interview on Arise TV on Saturday, Lamido claimed Tinubu’s rise to political prominence came only after General Sani Abacha seized power, and not during the struggle for the actualization of the June 12 mandate.
“Tinubu became relevant and noticeable after Abacha took over the government,” Lamido said. “Before then, he was in the Senate and was secretary of his party. He was part of those who supported IBB’s annulment of the June 12 election.”
Lamido further alleged that Tinubu’s mother, the late Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, mobilized market women from Lagos to express public support for then military ruler Ibrahim Babangida, who annulled the election won by Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola.
“His own mother, Hajia Mogaji, was organising Lagos market women to come to Abuja to pledge support for Babangida,” Lamido said. “Tinubu was actively hand-in-glove with Babangida.”
He also questioned the motives behind the formation of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), the pro-democracy group credited with confronting the military after the annulment. “NADECO was a postulation formation to fight Abacha, not for June 12,” he said.
The June 12 election, won by the late MKO Abiola, was nullified by the Babangida regime, triggering widespread unrest and setting off years of political repression under successive military governments.
President Tinubu, who has often portrayed himself as a frontline figure in the struggle to actualize the June 12 mandate, has not yet responded to Lamido’s remarks.
Lamido’s comments are likely to spark renewed debate over Tinubu’s role in Nigeria’s pro-democracy movement and the events surrounding one of the most consequential elections in the country’s history.
Editor: Gabriel Ani
