Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Sunday attributed the annulment of June 12, 1993 presidential election presumably won by the late philanthropist, Moshood Kashimawo Abiola by former Military President General Ibrahim Babangida to “bad belle” (envy).
Until today, Obasanjo had sidestepped the issue of June 12 and the place of the founder of the defunct African Concord in the history of Nigeria.
But speaking today, Obasanjo said the annulment robbed Egbaland and Ogun State the rare privilege of having three of its prominent sons occupying the number one seat at different times.
The elder statesman, who was referring to former Head of Interim National Government(ING), Chief Ernest Shonekan, himself who was first a military Head of States and elected President, apparently noted that Abiola would have become the third if the 1993 poll was not annulled.
He spoke on Sunday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State shortly after his investiture as a trustee of the Abeokuta Club, a sociocultural organisation of Egba people of Ogun State.
Obasanjo was honoured alongside MKO Abiola who was awarded a posthumous vice-patron of the club.
The former President, who recalled Abiola was his schoolmate at the Baptist Boys High School (BBHS) Abeokuta, said the late politician richly deserved the award bestowed on him by the Abeokuta club.
Obasanjo said: “When Abeokuta Club was in the process of being birthed, things in Abeokuta were not as rosy as they are today. And the sons of Abeokuta who were in Lagos put their heads together in late Chief Sobo Sowemimo’s house to think of what they could do to improve the development of Abeokuta as a city. I pay tributes to all those founding members, those who have departed this world and those who are still here.
“I want to thank the club for this honour being bestowed on me and the honour being bestowed on my school mate MKO Abiola which he richly deserved.
“Kabiyesi, the Alake (of Egbaland) alluded to it. Normally when you win a cup three times, you keep that cup. Isn’t it? If not for bad belle, Abeokuta would have produced President of Nigeria three times, in which case we should have kept it permanently.
“But be that as it may, we have a great heritage. And we should be proud of our heritage. On this note, I will say on this occasion, I thank the President, the patron and grand patron, members of Board of Trustees, the executive; I want to say this, I will continue to contribute my quota to the development and growth of this club and by extension, the development and growth of Abeokuta, of Ogun State, of Nigeria, of African and indeed the of world in whichever way I could.”
Obasanjo pledged his continuous commitment to the development to the club, Ogun state, Nigeria and the world.
Alake of Egbaland Oba Adedotun Gbadebo while presenting the plague to Obasanjo, described Obasanjo and MKO Abiola as proud sons of Abeokuta, adding some “bad blood” didn’t allow Abiola to emerge President.
Obasanjo had ruled Nigeria twice. First as a military Head of State. He became the Head of State in 1976 following the assassination of Muritala Muhammed and he ruled till 1979 when he handed over the reins of power to a democratically elected President, Shehu Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria.
Shagari defeated Chief Obafemi Awolowo of the Unity Party of Nigeria, who like Obasanjo, was also from Ogun State.
With his decision Obasanjo became the first military ruler to hand over to a democratically elected president and his decision signalled the beginning of the tumultuous Second Republic in the history of Nigeria.
Twenty years after, Obasanjo would return as a civilian president after many years of military interregnum, punctuated by the aborted Third Republic and the June 12 drama.
General Abdusalami Abubakar handed over to Obasanjo on May 29, 1999.
In the heat of the struggle to actualise the June 12 mandate, Obasanjo had said MKO Abiola was not the Messiah that would turn the political fortune of Nigeria around.
