GENERAL ABACHA: A LETTER FROM HEAVEN
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This is an Open Letter to the Nigerian People from late General Sani Abacha on the controversial annulment of the June 12, 1993, Presidential Election, supposedly won by late M.K.O Abiola.
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Dear Fellow Nigerians,
It is with a sense of duty to history that I, late General Sani Abacha, write this letter to set the record straight regarding the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
I received a shocking news that in the newly released autobiography “A Journey in Service,” my friend former Military Head of State General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) has attempted to absolve himself of responsibility for the annulment of what was widely considered Nigeria’s freest and fairest election, shifting the blame to me. However, history cannot be rewritten to suit personal narratives.
√ Setting the Record Straight:
The annulment of the June 12 election was executed under the government of General Babangida, not under me. By June 23, 1993, when the election results were officially annulled, IBB was still the Head of State, the Commander-in-Chief, and the decision-maker. At no point in history did I have the constitutional authority to annul the election at that time. Therefore, shifting responsibility to me is both misleading and an attempt to revise history.
If General Babangida now claims that he was pressured by me into annulling the election, the fundamental question remains: Who held the Presidential powers on June 23, 1993? Who signed the official government pronouncements regarding the annulment? It was Babangida himself, not humble self.
√ My Role – Facts vs. Fiction:
I General Abacha, as Chief of Defense Staff at the time, was part of the military hierarchy, but was not the one making executive decisions regarding the annulment. Those decisions rested with the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC), which was chaired by Babangida. It was Babangida who, after coming under pressure from various political and military factions, announced the annulment and later attempted to set up an interim national government under Chief Ernest Shonekan.
It was only after Babangida’s hurried exit from office in August 1993 that political instability deepened, paving the way for the palace coup of November 1993, which brought my humble self to power. By then, the damage had already been done, and I inherited a political crisis that I wasn’t create.
√ Was I the Mastermind?
If I General Abacha had truly been the mastermind behind the annulment, as is now being suggested, why didn’t I seize power immediately after June 12? Why did Babangida remain in office for two more months, struggling to manage the crisis? The truth is that IBB’s government annulled the election for reasons best known to them, and they bore full responsibility for it. The attempt to transfer blame to me after my death is a weak attempt to rewrite history.
Furthermore, if I was so intent on stopping Chief Moshood Abiola (MKO) from assuming office, why did I not immediately move against him? Instead, it was the interim government of Chief Shonekan, put in place by IBB, that failed to resolve the crisis, leading to its eventual collapse.
√ The Real Culprits:
The annulment of the June 12 election was not the decision of a single individual; it was the product of internal and external pressures, including fears within the military elite, political interests, and even international concerns about Nigeria’s stability. However, the official stamp on the annulment was that of Babangida’s government, not mine.
To me, if my friend and OGA General Babangida now regrets his decision, that is understandable. However, history will not permit him to shift the blame onto me that was neither the head of state nor the principal decision-maker at the time. I General Abacha, whether admired or criticized, should not be used as a scapegoat for the errors of IBB’s administration.
√ Conclusion:
History is not built on shifting narratives. The annulment of June 12 remains one of Nigeria’s most painful political missteps, and its responsibility must be placed squarely where it belongs—on the shoulders of those in power at the time. I did not annul the June 12 election. It was annulled by the government of General Babangida. Any attempt to distort this fact is an insult to history and to the intelligence of the Nigerian people.
Sincerely Yours,
General Sani Abacha, resting in heaven.
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This letter is written by Bashir Yahuza Malumfashi in defence of late General Sani Abacha of blessed memory.
this is the reality
Thanks manifold.
Its really unfortunate that the dead can’t speak; there are always two sides to every story.