Former military president Ibrahim Babangida has disclosed that he approached the late business mogul MKO Abiola with an offer to head an interim government following the annulment of the 1993 presidential election, but Abiola turned it down.
He disclosed this in his autobiography A Journey in Service.
Babangida explained that after numerous consultations with various groups, he contacted Abiola to explore a way forward. During one of their meetings, which was arranged by traditional leaders, Babangida proposed an interim position for Abiola while efforts were made to resolve the crisis stemming from the annulled election. However, Abiola, convinced that he had won the election, felt it would be inappropriate to accept the offer, viewing it as a betrayal of his perceived victory.
Babangida also recalled a more private meeting where he warned Abiola that both their lives were in danger due to forces that wished them harm. He hinted that Abiola, who was in communication with then-Chief of Defence Staff, Sani Abacha, was misled into believing that once Babangida was ousted, the annulled election would be reversed and he would become president.
Despite his earlier relationship with Abacha, Babangida was shocked to later discover the deep animosity Abacha had toward Abiola. He revealed that Abiola’s decision to distance himself from reconciliation and embrace the advice of deceitful “friends” eventually paved the way for another military coup, led by Abacha in November 1993, which ousted the interim government of Ernest Shonekan.
Babangida also reflected on his relationship with Abacha, whom he described as a complex character. He recalled how Abacha, once a close ally who had helped him ascend to power in 1985, was later involved in a covert campaign to remove him from office, eventually leading to the military’s forceful takeover. Babangida expressed his shock at discovering the extent of Abacha’s animosity toward Abiola, whom he had once believed to have a good rapport with Abacha.
Abacha’s military coup in November 1993 resulted in the detention of Abiola after the latter declared himself president in 1994. Abacha died in 1998, and Abiola, still imprisoned, passed away a month later under suspicious circumstances.
