“No Need to Prosecute Babangida Over June 12,” Says Abiola’s Son

Jamiu Abiola, son of the late Chief Moshood Abiola, has dismissed calls for the prosecution of former military ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida, over the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election and his alleged role in Abiola’s subsequent death.

In an interview with Sunday PUNCH, Jamiu argued that revisiting the case decades later would be futile, as many of the key figures involved are no longer alive.

“There is no need for prosecution or probe. So many years have passed, and most of the good and bad actors in the June 12 tragedy have passed away,” he said.

He noted that if a probe were to be conducted, the ideal time would have been during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s second term (2003-2007), when Nigeria’s democracy was more stable, and key witnesses were still alive to provide firsthand accounts.

Babangida Finally Admits Abiola Won

Jamiu’s remarks follow Babangida’s recent public acknowledgment, his first ever, that Abiola won the historic 1993 election.

For decades, the former military leader had avoided confirming the widely held belief that Abiola met all constitutional requirements to be declared president. However, in his newly released autobiography, A Journey in Service, Babangida admitted that the late politician secured the necessary majority votes and geographical spread.

“Upon closer examination of the original collated figures from the 110 polling booths nationwide, it was clear that he satisfied the two main constitutional requirements for winning the presidential elections, namely majority votes and geographical spread,” Babangida wrote.

Honoring Abiola’s Legacy Through Unity

Despite the long-awaited admission, Jamiu Abiola maintained that prosecution was no longer a priority. Instead, he urged Nigerians to honor his father’s legacy by embracing the national unity that the June 12 election symbolized.

For years, Babangida’s annulment of the election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest, sparked outrage, with critics accusing his military regime (1985-1993) of robbing the nation of a democratic transition.

While justice for Abiola remains a point of debate, his son believes that looking forward, rather than backward, is the best way to preserve his memory.