The former National council of youths and associations of Nigeria, Personal Assistant, Comrade Salihu Dantata Mahmud who got launched into limelight as a result of an article he wrote calling for truce between IBB and his friend the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola the winner of the June 12 1993 Presidential elections has described as laughable submissions during the book launch on former military President general Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida that General Sani Abacha was instrumental to the annulment of June 12 elections how? In the first place general Abacha was just a member of the then armed forces ruling council.
What about the other service chiefs, members of the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) as well as other players in the government. It could be vividly recalled that the late Arthur Nzeribe alongside late Abimbola Davies under the then ABN the association for better Nigeria approached one of the courts under one justice Ikpeme where court injunction was given against the election before it was annulled.
So how did only late General Sani Abacha advise for the elections to be annulled. Let a single note or recording on the deliberation between IBB and late Abacha be brought or shown as evidence. The dead they say does not defend itself.
While we respect general Babangida very well and hold him in high esteem but such utterances are not needed at this material time. IBB and Abacha were known to be 5 and 6 but the likes of general Aliyu Mohammed Gusau were more closer to ibb than Abacha. The story of June 12 annulment centers around some late southwestern monarchs, influential Yoruba statesmen as well as top industrialists who never wanted Abiola to become President for reasons well known to them.
It was also insinuated that some former head of state from the Yoruba race also played key role so saying that Abacha was the master minder of the annulment of June 12 Presidential election cannot be fact. Even after death general Abacha remains a patriotic and reputable elder statesman.
For the records, as head of state he ousted a military junta through ECOMOG to reinstall the democratically elected government of Tejan Kabah in Sierra Leone. We shall continue to celebrate the legacy of late General Sani Abacha.
