The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), a human rights organisation, has called for the prosecution of former military ruler, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), over his role in the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
The demand follows Babangida’s recent public admission of his involvement in the annulment, which the CDHR described as an attempt to “hoodwink” Nigerians into believing he acted in good faith.
In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by its President, Debo Adeniran, the CDHR described Babangida’s actions as a “brazen sociopolitical and moral assault” on Nigerians, undermining democracy and leading to widespread human rights abuses.
The statement read in part, “The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) received with heavy heart the recent admission of the infamous June 12 notorious fact by former military ruler, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (Rtd). His belated public confessions regarding his role in the illegal annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election is an attempt to hoodwink the unwary Nigerians to believe that the mischievous dictator actually meant well by the brazen sociopolitical and moral assault he unleashed on them by the inglorious act.”
The organisation acknowledged that while the June 12 election had its flaws, it remained widely regarded as “the most peaceful and freest election in Nigeria’s history.” However, it noted that despite this, Babangida’s decision to annul the election on June 23, 1993, instead of announcing Chief MKO Abiola as the rightful winner, was “the worst of the unfair treatments unleashed on the 14 million citizens who voted.”
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CDHR further described the annulment as a “reckless, illegal and unconstitutional action” that destabilized Nigeria, led to severe human rights violations, and deprived the people of their democratic rights.
“General Babangida’s belated admission is not only an affront to the principles of democracy and justice but also a clear acknowledgment of his direct involvement in an act that plunged Nigeria into years of political turmoil, civil unrest, loss of lives and properties and inestimable economic hardship. It should therefore be regarded as a coup d’état to the administration of M.K.O Abiola who was robbed in broad daylight and denied the opportunity of savouring his well-deserved victory at the polls.”
The CDHR further alleged that the annulment led to political assassinations, arbitrary arrests, and suppression of press freedom. It, therefore, urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order Babangida’s prosecution for “crimes against humanity and for orchestrating a coup d’état that subverted the democratic will of the Nigerian people.”
It added that “this prosecution should not be difficult since the chief plotter has confessed to these crimes in public and in writing as published in his bloody book that could have been ‘A Journey into Perdition’ mistitled ‘A Journey in Service’.”
The statement also reminded President Tinubu of his past remarks about Babangida’s lost opportunity for heroism, urging him to correct the historical injustice by “announcing MKO Abiola as a past Nigerian president with full privileges of the status posthumously granted him and his family.”
Additionally, CDHR called for punitive measures against individuals who benefitted from the annulment, including the late Chief Ernest Shonekan, members of the Interim National Government, and others who played a role in truncating democracy. It demanded that their “national honours be withdrawn and benefits being paid to their families also revoked.”
The organisation also urged the judiciary, anti-corruption agencies, and international human rights bodies to take action, stating that “justice for June 12 is justice for democracy, and Nigeria must never allow such an egregious crime to go unpunished. The time for accountability is now.”#IBB
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