Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd), former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, has once again stirred national debate, asserting that the real story behind the June 12, 1993, presidential election annulment remains largely unknown to Nigerians.
Speaking in an interview to mark the 2025 Democracy Day, Al-Mustapha claimed that the events surrounding the annulled election and the political tensions that followed were deeply rooted in complex international interests and internal conspiracies, many of which have been deliberately concealed.
“The truth about June 12 is far bigger and deeper than what has been told. There are actors, both within and outside Nigeria, who played roles that have never been revealed. What the public knows is only a fraction,” he said.
Al-Mustapha, who spent over a decade in detention after the return to civilian rule, has consistently maintained that critical files and intelligence reports from the Abacha regime, if made public, would alter the national narrative around June 12 and the death of Chief MKO Abiola.
While acknowledging Abiola’s sacrifice, he emphasized that the portrayal of events has often been one-sided, failing to address the broader geopolitical and security dynamics at play at the time.
His remarks have drawn mixed reactions, with some Nigerians calling for the declassification of historical documents to shed light on the period, while others view his claims as an attempt to rewrite history.
June 12, 1993, is widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest election, won by Chief MKO Abiola. Its annulment by the military regime sparked widespread protests and political unrest, ultimately leading to the return of democracy in 1999.
As Nigeria marks 26 years of uninterrupted democracy, Al-Mustapha’s comments serve as a reminder of the unresolved controversies surrounding a pivotal moment in the nation’s history.
