Former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, has expressed regret over the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, saying that he will act differently if given another chance.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the launch of his autobiography, *A Journey in Service*, Babangida said that he accepted full responsibility for the controversial decision, admitting that the election—widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest—was won by a business mogul, the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
He said, “I regret June 12. I accept full responsibility for the decisions taken. The annulment happened under my watch. Mistakes and missteps happened in quick succession.”
The election, which pitted Abiola against Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC), was annulled by Babangida’s administration, triggering a political crisis that eventually led to the installation of an Interim National Government (ING) and, later, a military coup by General Sani Abacha.
While Babangida had previously justified the annulment on security grounds, his latest remarks signal a shift in position.
“June 12 was accepted by Nigerians as the best election ever conducted—free and fair. But unfortunately, we cancelled it. I used the word ‘unfortunately’ for the first time,” he admitted.
Explaining the military’s rationale at the time, he claimed that Nigeria was not ready for a democratic transition and that the fear of another coup played a significant role in the decision.
“The security of the nation was under threat. We would have considered ourselves failures if, within six months of handing over, another coup took place. I went through a coup and survived it. We knew another one was coming, but not many believed us,” Babangida said.
He revealed that his government had planned to conduct another election in November 1993 but was unable to do so due to widespread opposition to the annulment. This led to the ING, which was later toppled by the late Gen Sani Abacha
