The family of the late General Sani Abacha has fiercely rejected claims made by former Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, that Abacha was responsible for the annulment of the 1993 June 12 presidential election.
In his autobiography, A Journey in Service, Babangida expressed regret over the annulment and placed the blame on military officers led by Abacha, his former Chief of Defence Staff.
According to Babangida, the annulment was made “without his permission,” describing it as an “accident of history.”
However, in a statement released on Sunday, the Abacha family, through Mohammed Abacha, vehemently denied these accusations, stating that Abacha was neither the Head of State nor Commander-in-Chief at the time of the annulment.
The family emphasized, “The decision to annul the election was made under the administration of General Ibrahim Babangida, who, as the then Head of State, held absolute executive powers and was solely responsible for the actions of his government.”
They further accused Babangida of attempting to rewrite history, asserting that, “Any attempt to shift this blame onto General Sani Abacha… is a deliberate distortion of historical facts.”
The statement called on Nigerians to be cautious of “revisionist narratives” that seek to manipulate history for personal or political gain, and to avoid tarnishing the memory of General Abacha.
The Abacha family concluded by criticizing Babangida’s autobiography for failing to provide an honest and objective account of past events, noting, “Honesty, sincerity, and integrity are virtues not commonly associated with the author.”