Today 23 of June, 2014, it will be 21 years exactly since the annulement of one of the freest and fairest elections in the history of Nigeria. The election was annuled 11 days after it was held on the 23rd of June 1993.
The election which was believed to have been won by the late business mogul, Bashorun MKO Abiola, was annulled by General Ibrahim Babangida.
Bashorun MKO Abiola had as his running mate Abassador Baba Gana Kingibe. It was a Muslim/ Muslim ticket and widely accepted by all.
According to General Banbagida he was compelled to nullify the election because of security threats to enthronment of a democratic government at that time. At that time, General Babangida described the annulment as "unfortunate" insisting that he and the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) knew that the new democratic government if installed would sooner than later have been toppled through another coup deta't, this he said his government wanted to avoid.
Although General Babangida insists he did not annulled the election, rather he "cancelled" it.
He made this revelation on a TV programme, Moments with Mo, anchored by Mo Abudu and broadcast on MNet.
Over the years General Babangida has admitted however that the elections were indeed free and fair.
MKO Abiola was arrested a year later on June 23, 1994 after he declared himself President, on 11 June 1994. On June 4, 1996 his wife Kudirat Abiola was killed while struggling to free her husband from detention.
MKO Abiola dies in detention on July 7, 1998 a month after the death of General Abacha who died in office on the 8 of June, 1998.
*Special thanks to blog visitor Joseph Britto for reminding me of this date*
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