The Presidency has dismissed as false and revisionist recent remarks by former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, alleging that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu supported the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
Responding on Sunday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, described Lamido’s assertions as a “distortion of history” and a misrepresentation of the president’s democratic credentials.
“Alhaji Lamido falsely accused President Bola Tinubu of supporting the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election and claimed his mother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, mobilized market women in favour of the annulment. These claims are patently false,” Onanuga stated.
He clarified that Alhaja Mogaji, a respected market leader, never supported the annulment and would have lost her leadership position in Lagos had she done so.
“Though she had a relationship with then-President Babangida before the annulment, it had no bearing on the crisis,” he noted.
The Presidential aide pointed out that Lamido, then Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the platform on which MKO Abiola contested and won was part of the party leadership that failed to resist the annulment.
“Lamido and SDP Chairman Tony Anenih surrendered the people’s mandate without a fight and collaborated with the National Republican Convention to thwart Abiola’s victory,” he said.
He contrasted this with Tinubu’s record, highlighting the then-Senator’s firm stance on the Senate floor on August 19, 1993, when he described the annulment as a “coup d’état” and called on Nigerians to reject injustice.
“Without the abortion or annulment of the June 12 election, there would be no crisis like this,” Tinubu had said, as recorded in Senate proceedings.
Onanuga explained that following the military takeover by General Sani Abacha on November 17, 1993, Tinubu joined Abiola in efforts to resist the junta.
Adding that he was arrested along with other senators for reconvening illegally in Lagos and supporting pro-democracy protests, including the blockade of the Third Mainland Bridge, Onanuga recalled that as Abacha reneged on his promise to honour Abiola’s mandate, the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) was formed on May 15, 1994.
Tinubu was a key member and went into exile after Abiola’s arrest in June that year. While abroad, his home in Lagos was bombed, he clarified.
Onanuga revealed that Tinubu not only supported NADECO but also funded Professor Wole Soyinka’s NALICON and other activists and journalists fighting military rule.
“Many NADECO leaders and journalists have confirmed that Tinubu’s material support was vital to the struggle.
“Lamido’s attempt to diminish this contribution while grudgingly acknowledging Tinubu’s NADECO role is contradictory and misleading,” he noted.
The presidency criticized Lamido’s historical revisionism and urged him to fact-check before making public statements, saying, “We do not want to believe Lamido suffers from tall poppy syndrome, but his comments reflect envy of President Tinubu’s democratic legacy”.
He noted that President Tinubu remains a steadfast champion of democracy, in contrast to Lamido and others who “capitulated in the face of military oppression.”
