June 12: The complicity we must not forget, By Babafemi Ojudu

The account recently given by Governor Sule Lamido regarding the events during and after the annulment of the 12 June 1993 presidential election, is a distortion of history which borders on outright mischief.
ByBabafemi Ojudu June 24, 2025
e Lamido, his allies in Kano, and others in the so-called progressive camp who failed to back the June 12 mandate, played a direct role in undermining democracy. They should not insult the collective intelligence and memory of Nigerians by attempting to whitewash their roles. June 12 is not just a date — it is a symbol of the Nigerian people’s struggle for justice, equity, and the sanctity of the ballot. Any attempt to revise its history is an affront to those who fought and paid dearly for that cause.

The account recently given by Governor Sule Lamido regarding the events during and after the annulment of the 12 June 1993 presidential election, is a distortion of history which borders on outright mischief. We must not allow historical revisionism to take root, especially on an issue as significant as June 12.

If Lamido, along with Tony Anenih and Abubakar Rimi, had stood firmly for the restoration of that democratic mandate, perhaps the tragedy that followed — the blatant subversion of the people’s will — might have been averted. Instead, their complicity gave tacit support to the military establishment, empowering the likes of Generals Babangida and Abacha to carry out what can only be described as political sabotage.

I vividly recall Abubakar Rimi, Lamido’s political mentor, dismissing allegations of abandoning MKO Abiola at a press conference, by claiming that he “didn’t come into politics because of Abiola.”