By Summary
- Sule Lamido urges Tinubu to pay N45bn debt owed to MKO Abiola’s family
- Babangida’s admission of Abiola’s victory renews calls for June 12 closure
- Obasanjo hails Lamido’s integrity, cuts short trip to attend book launch
Former Foreign Affairs Minister and ex-Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has reignited national debate over the historic June 12, 1993 presidential election, calling on President Bola Tinubu to pay N45 billion allegedly owed to the family of the late Chief MKO Abiola. Lamido made the appeal during the launch of his memoir, Being True to Myself, held in Abuja.
The June 12, 1993 election—often hailed as Nigeria’s freest and fairest—saw Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) defeat Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC), even securing victory in Tofa’s home state of Kano. Despite widespread acclaim, the result was controversially annulled by then-military leader General Ibrahim Babangida, triggering nationwide unrest.
Decades later, in a startling revelation, Babangida acknowledged in his own 2025 autobiography A Journey in Service that Abiola indeed won the election—a confession that bolstered Lamido’s call for final restitution.
“I would like to appeal to President Tinubu to close the chapter of June 12,” Lamido said at the event. “In his book, General Babangida revealed that Abiola won the election. When I went to him, he said Abiola is being owed N45 billion. Please tell President Tinubu to pay Abiola’s family the N45 billion. When this money is paid, the chapter of June 12 will be closed. It is very important.”
Lamido also recounted his first conversation with Babangida, where he boldly told the military ruler, “Sir, you must resign and leave office.” He added that Babangida found him “genuine, with no pretensions, and even maybe naive.”
The book launch drew prominent figures, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who penned the foreword. Obasanjo, who cut short an international engagement in the Democratic Republic of Congo to attend, lauded Lamido’s service and character.
“Sule said to me, ‘You appointed me; I didn’t ask you to. If you find me unworthy, just give me five minutes and I will resign,’” Obasanjo recalled. “Sule was our face to the world. He did a magnificent job.”
He continued, “The Nigeria you and I worked for, we haven’t gotten there yet. Our job is not finished until it is finished.”
A goodwill message from President Tinubu, delivered by Information Minister Mohammed Idris, acknowledged the significance of Lamido’s autobiography, describing it as “an important addition to Nigeria’s political history,” while pledging sustained focus on national unity and development.
President Muhammadu Buhari had posthumously honoured MKO Abiola with Nigeria’s highest national award, GCFR, in 2018, but the latest developments suggest that the final chapter of June 12 might yet remain unwritten—pending action from the current administration.
