Babangida’s excuse for annulling June 12 election an insult to Nigerians – Afenifere

The pan Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, said on Saturday the excuse given by ex-military president, Ibrahim Babangida for annulling the June 12, 1993 presidential election was a “sour taste in the month.”

The ex-military ruler controversially annulled the election acknowledged by many as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history on June 24, 1993, throwing the country into chaos that lasted nearly five years.

Babangida, who appeared on the Arise TV on Friday, said he annulled the election to prevent a violent coup in the country.

He insisted that the election could have caused more instability in the country.

The ex-President said: “Do you want me to be honest with you?

“If the election had gone through, there would have been a coup d’etat which could have been violent. That is all I can confirm.

“It didn’t happen, thank God for the Maradonic way we handled you guys in the society.”

But in a statement issued by its Secretary-General, Sola Ebiseni, Afenifere, described Babangida’s comment on the election as an insult to Nigerians’ intelligence.

Ebiseni added that President Muhammadu Buhari’s government has performed woefully on security, economy, and anti-corruption.

READ ALSO: Jealousy forced Babangida to annul June 12 election – Obasanjo

The statement read: “Babangida has not said a new thing worthy of any reaction in respect of his treasonable acts of the annulment of the adjudged freest and fairest election in the country’s political history.

“Nigerians are not interested in any excuse being given by IBB. It is even most preposterous that IBB will only now be insulting the intelligence of Nigerians that he annulled their mandate to forestall a violent coup, which, by reasonable inference, he was aware of.

“He lost the opportunity of being the hero of democracy and father of a new Nigeria, an eternal regret that no whitewashing on television can redeem.

“However, it is no gainsaying the fact that the present administration has made saints of all previous administrations in every aspect of governance.”

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