June 13, 2025
Lagos, Nigeria – Lekan Abiola, son of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, has revealed that former military president Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) privately apologised to the Abiola family for the annulment of the historic June 12, 1993 presidential election, which his father was presumed to have won.
In a recent interview to commemorate Nigeria’s Democracy Day, Lekan stated that while the annulment was a “public betrayal,” Babangida made attempts years later to reconcile with the family behind closed doors.
“IBB punched us publicly but apologised privately. It was one of the darkest chapters in our family’s history,” Lekan said, recalling the emotional and political fallout from the annulled election.
MKO Abiola’s struggle for the actualisation of his mandate, and his eventual incarceration and death in 1998, remain defining moments in Nigeria’s democratic journey. The June 12 election is widely regarded as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history.
Despite widespread condemnation, Babangida has often justified the annulment as a “necessary decision” in the interest of national security at the time, a claim many Nigerians continue to dispute.
Lekan emphasized the need for genuine national healing, calling on the government to fully honour the sacrifices of June 12 heroes.
“It’s not just about apologies or symbolic gestures. It’s about justice, recognition, and preserving the truth of what happened,” he added.
In 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari formally recognised June 12 as Nigeria’s Democracy Day and conferred the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) posthumously on MKO Abiola.
