Okei-Odumakin Lampoon IBB For Defending June 12 Annulment

Human rights activist, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin has berated former military president, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), for defending the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election.

IBB had in an interview on Arise TV on Friday said he annulled the June 1993 presidential election to prevent a violent coup d’etat.

IBB claimed that he annulled the election to prevent instability in the country, adding that he annulled the election in the best interest of Nigerians.

He had said: “If it materialized (If the election had gone through), there would have been a coup d’etat which could have been violent. That’s all I can confirm.

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

In an interview on Friday, Okei-Odumakin said Babangida’s claim was only admissible in his imagination and the conscience of those who conspired with him to annul the election.

She, however, asked Babangida to honourably apologise for annulling the exercise through which Nigerians chose who they preferred as their president.

She said: “The unrepentant posture of the former military dictator is not only insulting to the memories of the June 12 presidential election and its winner, Chief MKO Abiola, but also an assault to the sacrifices of those who paid the supreme price, in the struggle for the actualisation of the mandate. General Babangida’s claim is only admissible in his imagination and the conscience of those, who conspired with him, to nullify the election, not anyone who witnessed the election and fought for its actualisation, as the freest and fairest election in our country.

“He should be ashamed to still associate himself with the infamous codename of treachery, which was the hallmark of his reign as a military dictator. Like we’ve always insisted, the amount of pressure, irrespective of where they are coming from, should not have been enough to nullify the sovereign mandate of the Nigerian people, as expressed during the June 12 election. I also feel, that instead of these unending shameful justifications by IBB, he should honourably apologise for annulling the June 12 presidential election.”

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