The former military head of state, General Ibrahim Babangida, has said the annulment of the June 12, 1993, general election, which was supposed to usher in late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola as the president of the country then, was done in the supreme national interest as he expressed regret over his actions.

General Babangida also alluded to the fairness and credibility of the 1993 election while speaking at the launch of his book ‘A Journey in Service’ on Thursday, 20th February, in Abuja in the presence of the top dignitaries, including President Bola Tinubu, former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Yakubu Gowon, former military ruler Abdulsalami Abubakar, and former Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, among others.

General Babangida, who is renowned for annulling the 1993 presidential election, which is described as the most peaceful and collective poll in the history of the country, made all ethnicities and tribes of the country cast their votes for a particular candidate. The election, which would have been won by the candidate of the Social Democratic Party then, a businessman, Chief MKO Abiola, was annulled by the military government due to security concerns, among other things.

The annulment sparked outrage and protests across the country, with many democratic fighters arrested, including Chief MKO Abiola, who later died in the struggle to reclaim his mandate from the succeeding government after the IBB handed over power to the interim administration.

Speaking at his book launch, IBB, as he is widely known, stated that while his actions at the time were in the best national interests of the country, he still regrets the mistakes and oversights that occurred while he was the head of the military government. He also admitted to the disruption of democracy, which has a regime that cannot be expunged from, stating that despite having the ambition to conduct a near-perfect election in the country, his oversight deprived him of such an achievement.

“Undoubtedly, credible, free, and fair elections were held in June, on June 12, 1993. However, the tragic irony of history remains that the administration that devised a near-perfect electoral system and conducted those near-perfect elections could not complete the process. “That accident of history is most regrettable. The nation is entitled to expect my impression of regret. As a leader of the military administration, I accept full responsibility for all decisions taken under my watch.” He added.

“And June 12 happened under my watch; mistakes, oversights, and missteps happened in quick succession, but I say in my book, in all matters, we acted in the supreme national interest so that Nigeria could survive. ‘Our nation’s march to democracy was interrupted, a fact that I deeply regret. But Nigeria and democracy are still alive, a testament to commitment.”

While speaking on the book, President Bola Tinubu described Babangida as the motivation for him to delve into politics, even though he confronted him for failing to inaugurate him and his fellow lawmakers back then. The president said while he thought the former military head of state was going to jail him for speaking radically, he said he did not pull back to tell him that he had the chance of making history through the 1993 election.

He added that IBB only took the challenge in good faith without making any attempt to detain him. “I confronted you that you had an opportunity to make history that day, and you failed to do it. Why not inaugurate us? Why are you calling us back and postponing the inauguration? “They thought I would end up in jail. You came out right at the end of the remark; you shook me. I can’t forget that. Without you, people like me won’t be in politics. Your progressive revolution to say that you want young, brilliant people in politics, you inspire some of us,” Tinubu said.

The President urged the country and the stakeholders in the country to seize the opportunity of the gathering to work together to build both the African continent and Nigeria as a whole amid the unpredictability that is going on in the global world.