The family of the late General Sani Abacha has strongly rejected claims by former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, that Abacha was responsible for the annulment of the historic June 12, 1993, presidential election.
Babangida, in his newly released memoir, A Journey in Service, alleged that Abacha, his then-Chief of Defence Staff, spearheaded the decision to nullify the election widely believed to have been won by the late Chief MKO Abiola.
The annulment plunged Nigeria into a political crisis, leading to the eventual transition to democracy in 1999.
However, in a statement issued on Sunday, Mohammed Abacha, son of the late military ruler, dismissed Babangida’s account as a “deliberate distortion of historical facts” and accused him of attempting to shift responsibility for one of Nigeria’s most controversial political decisions.
The Abacha family emphasized that at the time of the annulment, General Babangida was the Head of State and held absolute executive power, making him solely accountable for the decision.
“It is important to state unequivocally that General Sani Abacha was neither the Head of State nor the Commander-in-Chief when the June 12 election was annulled,” the statement read.
“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 described Babangida’s version of events as a calculated attempt to rewrite history, warning Nigerians against what they called “revisionist narratives” designed to absolve those truly responsible for the annulment.
The statement further criticized A Journey in Service, arguing that Babangida failed to use the book as an opportunity to set the record straight.
“We regret that ‘A Journey in Service’ missed the opportunity and failed to make history as a truthful and objective account of past events.
“As one public commentator aptly put it, honesty, sincerity, and integrity are virtues not commonly associated with the author,” the statement added.
The family also recalled that Abacha remained loyal to Babangida throughout his lifetime, even protecting him during moments of political instability.
Babangida’s memoir has reignited debates over the role of key military figures in the annulment of the June 12 election, a decision that led to nationwide protests, a brutal military crackdown, and the prolonged struggle for democracy.
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