My Father Deserves To Be Sworn-In As President Of Nigeria….Abiola Son

…Says He Was Orphaned By June 12 But IBB Confessions, Healings For All

Between the time my father was the president elect, if you juxtapose it with the time he died, I think he lived long enough to have been sworn in as president of Nigeria.

 By Benard Akoma

Abdul Abiola

Abdul Mumuni, son of Alhaji Moshood Abiola, aka MKO and Kudirat, his slain wife, who was killed during the struggle for the realization of the mandate of June 12, presidential election, generally believed to have been won by MKO Abiola but nullified by General Ibrahim Gbadamosa Babangida, aka IBB, the Nigeria head of State then, has said that the open confession by Babangida, that his father actually won that election should become a soothing balm to many aggrieved Nigerians who believe in the sanctity of that election.

 Recall that Babangida during the presentation of his book, which he captioned, A Journey In Service, listed as among his numerous regrets as Nigeria head of state, the nullification of June 12, 1993 presidential election. He not only publicly declared that Abiola overwhelmingly won that election but went further to publish the result of the election in his book to justify the wide spread victory of Abiola, over his opponent, Alhaji bashir Tofa.

Speaking on Arise TV morning Show, February, 21, Abdul stated that for the fact that IBB had acknowledged as military head of state who annulled the election and he has shown remorse towards the decision he made as head of state and confessed that if he has the opportunity to do it again that he would do it differently, I think he has made the point that we are humans and we are liable to making mistakes.

The most important thing for us as humans is to seek for forgiveness when we realize that we are wrong which I think that is what he has done and that should be healing for all. Though Abiola was the figure head of that election, he stated, but it was the Nigerian people who gave him that mandate, so IBB confession should be a healing to all since there is no doubt any more that he won that election, he admonished.

Abdul acknowledged that the outcome of June 12 presidential election was traumatic to many including turning him into an orphan early in life, but he said, “my message to all is that we should not dwell in the past and stop thinking how to move the nation forward. What is most important is the actualization of Abiola vision which I think is the Nigeria project.”

On his expectations from the present government in which Bola Tinubu, now the president of Nigeria happened to be a champion of the June 12, Abdul said, “the present president was part of the struggle, he was even on exile, I think the needful has to be done.”

He however maintained that everything has been set, saying, “now that the head of state who annulled the election has acknowledged that he made a mistake, former President Mohammed Buhari had already acknowledged that my father won the election by recognizing June 12 a democracy day, I think if we look the time when he became President Elect and juxtapose it with the time he died, I think he lived long enough to have been sworn in as the president of Nigeria.”

He however infers that he leavesthat decision in the hand of Nigerians, saying, “the truth is that Abiola by the point he became the president elect, he ceased to be my father alone but the father of the nation. So it is not just what I expect but there is need to spring into action and let the needful be done, like I said he was just not my father but father of the whole nation. But there is the need to protect his legacies and all that,” he concluded.