Abdulmumuni Abiola, the late MKO Abiola and Kudirat Abiola’s son, has claimed that he always knew his father had won the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
He made these remarks in response to Ibrahim Babangida, the former military president of Nigeria, who recently apologized for his choice to revoke Abiola’s victory.
Abiola said the former military leader’s regret for the annulment confirms the long-held truth about the election during an appearance on Arise News on Friday.
In addition, he revealed that his mother and father died while coping with the fallout from the canceled election.
“There were two parts for me in the revelations that we heard from the late head of state yesterday,” he stated. First, it acknowledged that my father, Abiola, had won the 1993 elections. I already knew that, in my opinion. Additionally, I knew my father had won the elections before they were ever declared, even at the little age of eight when they were held.
In my opinion, the second part—his admission that he felt regret for the things he had done at the time and his statement that he would have done things differently if he could go back in time—was more significant. I think it’s critical that we recognize that we are fallible human beings and that we should ask for forgiveness when we make mistakes. Thus, I believe that his expression of regret for his choice was more significant to me.
A Protector Was Lost to Me My Mother’s Death When
Abdulmumuni remarked, “When we look at the events of June 12 1993, it brings up a lot of emotions for me,” in reference to the agony the annulment caused to both individuals and the nation. After the election was declared invalid, I recall my father fighting to obtain his mandate and to obtain justice for what he believed to be an incorrect election annulment. He was then taken into custody. After a while he died. My mother had come out and attempted to have him released at the time of his arrest, but she lost her life in the process. I am aware of what was lost, then. I lost my mother as a friend, a protector, and a guardian.
Because of that incident or that time period, I essentially became an orphan. You know, I’ve always led a life; forgiveness is a concept in my religion, and my father was always one to turn the other cheek. It discusses forgiving others—not always for the offender’s benefit—so that you can truly move on. And while I believe that the Abiola family experienced pain, the Nigerian nation also experienced trauma. You talked about some of your coworkers, their experiences during that period, and how terrified they were. For a group of Nigerians, the future seemed unknown. Many wonderful Nigerians left the country because they believed it was unredeemable. During that time, there was also a significant brain drain.
