..Says former Jigawa governor was collaborator of military junta
By Eshiorameh Sebastian, Abuja
The Presidency has dismissed as ‘false and revisionist’ claims by former Jigawa Governor, Sule Lamido, that President Bola Tinubu supported the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election.
In a statement issued on Sunday by Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy to President Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency accused Lamido of ‘distorting history’ while detailing Tinubu’s pro-democracy record and Lamido’s alleged role in the betrayal of MKO Abiola’s mandate.
The statement was prompted by Lamido’s recent televised remarks on Arise News, where he allegedly accused President Tinubu of supporting the annulment of the June 12 election, a claim the Presidency dismissed as “patently false and a desperate attempt to rewrite history.”
Lamido had in the interview claimed that Tinubu only gained prominence after the formation of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and further alleged that the President’s mother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, mobilised market women to support the annulment.
The Presidency, however, countered these assertions, stating: “Alhaja Mogaji never mobilized market women to support the unjust annulment. Had she done so, she would have lost her position as market leader in Lagos.”
The statement clarified that while Tinubu’s mother once had a personal relationship with former military President Ibrahim Babangida, it was before the annulment crisis.
In a damning revelation, the Presidency reminded Nigerians that Lamido, as the Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the platform on which Abiola contested and won the annulled election—was among those who failed to resist the military’s injustice.
“The SDP leadership, including Lamido and chairman Tony Anenih, wrote their names in the book of infamy by surrendering the people’s mandate without resistance. To their eternal shame, Lamido and Anenih teamed up with the defeated National Republican Convention to deny Abiola his mandate,” the statement read.
While painting Lamido as a collaborator with the military junta, the Presidency highlighted Tinubu’s steadfastness in defending democracy. It recalled how the then-Senator Tinubu, on August 19, 1993, openly condemned the annulment on the Senate floor, describing it as “another coup d’état.”
Quoting directly from Tinubu’s speech, the statement read: “We have a situation that suggests that the abortion of the June 12 election is another coup d’etat. My question is, when are we going to stop tolerating injustices, coup d’etat, and abuse by the people on whom we invested so much resources—the public funds of this country?”
The Presidency further noted that Tinubu was among the lawmakers who reconvened in Lagos in defiance of General Sani Abacha’s dissolution of democratic institutions in November 1993. “Tinubu and a group of senators were arrested and detained at Alagbon, yet he continued funding pro-June 12 protests, including the blockade of the Third Mainland Bridge,” the statement added.
The statement chronicled Tinubu’s role in NADECO, formed in May 1994, and his subsequent exile following Abiola’s arrest on June 22, 1994. “Tinubu lived in exile for nearly five years while Lamido and his ilk made deals with Abacha,” it alleged.
It also recalled how Tinubu’s Victoria Island home was bombed by agents of the junta during his exile, further underscoring his sacrifices for democracy.
In a sharp personal jab, the Presidency suggested that Lamido’s attacks on Tinubu stemmed from envy. “We do not want to believe that Alhaji Lamido suffers from what psychologists call tall poppy syndrome. However, the conclusion is inevitable as it appears that Lamido is envious of Tinubu’s democratic credentials.”
The statement concluded with a stern warning: “We advise Lamido to check his facts before going on television to spread falsehoods. Revisionism does not serve the cause of truth or our nation’s interests.”
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