Former governor of Jigawa state, Sule Lamido, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of supporting the annulment of the historic June 12, 1993 presidential election, won by the late Moshood Abiola.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV, Lamido claimed that Tinubu and his late mother, Hajia Abibatu Mogaji, played supportive roles in Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida’s controversial annulment of the election results.
“I feel highly entertained by Tinubu’s rhetoric, the way he’s dramatising his role in Nigeria’s democracy,” Lamido said, casting doubt on the narrative often credited to Tinubu as a pro-democracy icon.
According to Lamido, Tinubu’s prominence in politics only grew after General Sani Abacha seized power, suggesting that his early political affiliations and actions contradicted the ideals of the democratic movement.
“Tinubu became relevant and noticeable after Abacha took over the government; before then, he was in the Senate while he was the secretary of the party,” Lamido explained.
He further alleged that Tinubu had been complicit in the annulment process.
“He was part of those who supported IBB’s annulment of the June 12 election,” he stated.
Lamido also leveled criticisms at Tinubu’s mother, claiming she mobilized support for Babangida from Lagos to Abuja at the height of the political crisis.
“His own mother Hajia Mogaji was organising Lagos market women to come to Abuja to pledge support for Babangida,” Lamido said.
In a controversial take on NADECO (the National Democratic Coalition), which has long been seen as a symbol of resistance against military rule and a platform for June 12 advocacy, Lamido challenged its true purpose.
“NADECO was postulated to fight Abacha not for June 12,” he declared.
The annulled June 12, 1993 election is widely considered the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history, with Moshood Abiola believed to have won by a significant margin before the results were nullified by the military regime under Babangida.
