By Eric Elezuo

“I regret June 12. I accept full responsibility for the decisions taken and June 12 happened under my watch. Mistakes, missteps happened in quick succession. That accident of history is most regrettable. The nation is entitled to expect my expression of regret” – Gen Ibrahim Babangida 

What looked like a playback of what has lived rent-free in the minds of the average Nigerian over the years, was experienced in the capacity filled hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, where former maximum leader, who had preferred the title Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babagida, launched his much awaited memoir and autobiography, A Journey In Service.

It was a gathering of the who’s who in Nigeria’s political history, entrepreneurial engagement and socio-economic endeavours, most whom attended more out of curiosity and respect than anything else. Everybody wanted to hear firsthand what the self-styled ‘evil genius’ and profoundly nicknamed ‘Maradona’ had up his sleeves. Every Nigerian wanted to know what Babangida would say much as a good number of people had read the book before hand. It was an opportunity to throw friendly banters, crack seniors jokes and speak of struggles of times past. The convivial atmosphere sustained President Bola Tinubu, who was the Special Guest of Honour, for the three honours the event lasted when many people had thought he would leave after only a while.

From former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo (who chaired the event) and Goodluck Jonathan to former Heads of State, Yukubu Gowon and Abdullahi Abubakar, light hearted words were created to douse the tension of the what June 12 means to Nigerians. It was the immediate past Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, who took the opportunity of reviewing the book to bring out salient matters hidden the struggle for the revalidation of June 12. His there’s a gentleman here celebrating with his former teormentors, a bold reference to President Tinubu, elicited laugher and applause from the largely elitist crowd.

Some of guests that attended were President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon, former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, former President and former Head of State President Olusegun Obasanjo, former President Goodluck Jonathan, former President of Ghana, Nana Akufo Addo, former President of Sierra Leone, Koroma, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar,  former Vice President Namadi Sambo, and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chief Arthur Eze, General TY Danjuma (retd), Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu, lawmakers, industrialists, members of the diplomatic Corps and the general public.

But the event, which was anchored by two veteran female journalists, Bimbo Oloyede and Aisha Kadaria, finally proved to be an anti-climax, saying nothing different from popular opinion, and what has over the years been in the public domain. The only difference was that Babangida took responsibility for the annulment of the June 12, 1993 elections, touted as the freest and fairest in the entire history of Nigeria; expressed regret and tactically sought forgiveness.

During his speech, which marks the major highlight at the launch, Babangida reiterated his regret over the annulment and took full responsibility for it.

“The tragic irony of history remains that an administration that devised a near-perfect electoral system and conducted those near-perfect elections could not complete the process. That accident of history is most regrettable.

“The nation is entitled to expect my expression of regret. As the leader of the military administration, I accept full responsibility for all the decisions taken under my watch. And June 12 happened under my watch.

“Mistakes, oversights, and missteps happened in quick succession. But as I said in my book, in all matters, we acted in the supreme national interest so that Nigeria could survive. Our nation’s march to democracy was interrupted, a fact that I deeply regretted, but Nigeria survived, and democracy is still alive – a testament to our resilience and commitment to progress,” he said amid a long stretch of explanations.

But with Babangida’s admission of guilt, and plead for forgiveness, Nigerians via their personal selves or as a group are divided in their reactions. While a cross section feels the confession should be a foreclosure of the 32 years of waiting, others are of the opinion that the confession should be succeeded with reprimands and punishments, not celebration and eulogy.

Reacting during an interview shortly after the book launch, which was also an avenue to raise funds for the proposed Babangida Presidential Library in Minna, the Chairman, Ovation Media Group, who is a celebrated journalist, Chief Dele Momodu, noted that he forgave the former military leader a long time ago, urging Nigerians to do the same in the spirit of leaving the past behind and moving forward.

He applauded Babangida for the boldness to admit his wrong, saying that Abiola does not not need anymore validation, having already been introduced into the hall of deification by the June 12 election, and the incidents surrounding it.

“I think Nigerians already moved forward. I mean, you accept what you cannot change. We accepted it, we didn’t like it, we didn’t forget it, and we’re not likely to forget it. But the principal actor coming out to say, “Hey, I was wrong,” that’s good enough…

“…Abiola’s legacy would always be intact. On June 12th, God decided to purify Abiola and to cleanse him of all his sins, because none of us— we’re all sinners— none of us is perfect. But Abiola became a saint. The deification of Abiola happened on that day, and God gave him that chance. It doesn’t happen to everyone; it’s not everyone that will have that chance while on earth to become a saint and a martyr. That is something very, very special,” Chief Momodu said.

Also toeing Momodu’s is Prof Mike Ozekhome, a legal practitioner and human rights advocate, who says he has “personally forgive him because it takes tons of guts to make public confession of having erred, and atone for same as he has now done.”

Ozekhome, a party to the June 12 struggle recounted the horrendous experience he was made to go through including not being able to cater for his young family as no briefs were coming and his phones were bugged. He noted in all he salute the courage of the former dictator because penance is what leads to confession,  and to restitution and to forgiveness.

“To me, that he has come out to open up to doing something wrong and egregious to a bleeding nation should be appreciated. I believe that Nigerians should forgive him because to err is human and to forgive is divine (Eph 4:32 ). I personally have now forgiven him because I was also a victim of the June12 crisis. It threw up all manners of challenges to me as a person, where in my very youthful age; in my thirties, I found myself marching on the streets of Lagos every day- from Ikeja bus stop roundabout, to Ikorodu road; up to Tejuosho market; from there to Ojuelegba, Surulere; to Mushin; to Shomolu and Igando, Alimosho,” Ozekhome said.

Also granting Babangida a pride of place for owning up, a former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, described him as one of the greats among leaders of Nigeria.

He said: “IBB has told his side of the story and explained to us what actually transpired. He refused to remain silent, he did not shy away from speaking the truth or refuse to accept responsibility and he did not pass the buck. Instead he came clean, displayed immense courage and did the right and proper thing.

“That is what leaders are meant to do and he did it without fear or favour regardless of whose ox was gored. Kudos to him.

“We need to appreciate this gesture, eschew all bitterness, let go of all our pent up anger, forgive him for what many perceive him to be his sins and move on.

“Equally we need to accord him his rightful place in history as one the the greats despite his fallibility. He is after all a mere man, albeit a great one, and not God.”

But quite a good number of Nigerians have dismissed the confession and apology as medicine after death taking into consideration the untold hardship and pains the events preceeding the annulment caused Nigeria and Nigerians; the economic downturn, the deaths and the total distrust that erupted among Nigerians.

Many others belive the apology was another tongue-in-cheek effort on a Maradonic entity as the former dictator classically exonerated himself of all blames, but agreed to take responsibility because he at the helm of affairs at the time.

A social analyst, who prefer anonymity told The Boss that “it is clearly impossible that everything that happened, happened without IBB’s knowledge as he would make Nigerians believe. How could Humphrey Nwosu stop announcing results without the CinC’s knowledge. It was a military rule; all these stories of court did this, and court did that are mere fairytale.

“How could a Sani Abacha be the infante terrible today; all because he’s not alive to speak for himself. Humphrey Nwosu died October 2024, and can no longer speak for himself, and so the duo of Justice Ikp3me and Clement Akpamgbo. Babangida waited for every major stakeholder to die before laying allegations on them in other to appear saintly before Nigerians,” the analyst said.

Expressing her disgust at all the allegations against her father, Abacha’s daughter, Gumsu, took to her X handle to send a message. He wrote one word, ‘weakling’.

In the same vein, MKO’s daughter, Hafsat Abiola-Costello, dismissed the confession as lacking in substance with nothing new, adding that it does not erase decades of injustice.

“For decades, Nigerians have known the truth. This is not new to us. But it is important that history records it from those who played a role in that dark chapter,” she said.

In his remarks, the founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, Atedo Peterside, also publicly dismissed Babangida’s acknowledgement of MKO Abiola’s 1993 election victory, characterising the admission as trivially obvious and decades too late.

Peterside took to his X handle to dismiss the confession, and the gathering of elites as a farce, saying he doesn’t deserve any accolades.

“IBB admitting, in 2025, that MKO Abiola won the June 12 Presidential elections in 1993, is as significant as him admitting that night follows the day.

“Are we supposed to clap because he told the truth after three decades?” The banker queried.

Also, human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, accused Babangida of deliberate distortions, saying the former Military President ‘packaged lies’, and sold to Nigerians.

He accused Babangida of suppressing dissent during his dictatorship, specifically mentioning the banning of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), organisations that advocated for the basic health rights of Nigerians, stating also how he was unlawfully arrested and incarcerated, and remained in detention until when Babangida left office in August 1993.

Also responding, the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CDHR), called for the arrest and prosecution of Babangida.

The group, in a statement by its President,  Debo Adeniran, faulted Babangida’s belated admission, saying it was 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.

The statement in part: “His actions meet the threshold of crime against humanity, as they resulted in widespread human rights abuses and the repression of pro-democracy activists and ultimately affected huge number of people who were affected by the misrule and misgovernance that followed that inglorious annulment.

“We would also like to remind President Tinubu that just as he said that Babangida lost the opportunity to become a hero with the annulment of the June 12 election, he (President Tinubu) should not lose that opportunity of becoming the hero of the June 12 struggle by announcing MKO Abiola as a past Nigerian president with full privileges of the status posthumously granted him and his family.

“We would also like the government of the day to punish the likes of all beneficiaries of the coup d’état, especially late Chief Ernest Shonekan, and those that served in his kangaroo and illegal cabinet called the “Interim National Government”. His successor, late Gen. Sanni Abacha, Justice Ikpeme, who delivered the midnight verdict to accentuate the journey to perdition, spineless late Humphrey Nwosu, who succumbed to illegal instructions to truncate announcement of the election results and all others who benefitted from the annulment of the election one way or the other.”

From every corner, Nigerians are either the courage of Babangida, condemning his barefaced inconsiderate action or asking him to go a little further to pay retribution to as many that met fatalities as a result of the annulment, especially the Abiola family.

But one thing is obvious, he has finally given voice to the thoughts of Nigerians as regards the June 12, and accepted playing a major role in the fatal crises.

But because some believe that there are distortions here and there in his narrative, surely, the end has not been heard about the 32 years old June 12.