“Annulment of June 12 Election Was Devastating – Abiola’s Son Shares How It Left Him an Orphan”

Abdulmumuni Abiola, the late MKO and Kudirat Abiola’s son, has said he always knew his father had won the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
He made this statement in response to Ibrahim Babangida, the former military president of Nigeria, who recently apologized for his choice to revoke Abiola’s victory.
Abiola claimed that the former military leader’s regret for the annulment confirms the long-held truth about the election during an appearance on Arise News on Friday.

He also revealed that while coping with the fallout from the canceled election, his mother and father passed away.

“There were two parts for me in the revelations that we heard from the late head of state yesterday,” he remarked. My father, Abiola, was acknowledged as having won the 1993 elections in the first section. I already knew it for myself. And I knew my father had won the elections before they were even declared, even at the tender age of eight when they were held.

For me, the second part—his admission that he felt regret for the things he had done at the time and his statement that he would have done things differently if he could go back in time—was more significant. It’s critical, in my opinion, that we recognize that we are fallible human beings and that we should ask for forgiveness when we make mistakes. Therefore, I believe that his expression of regret for his choice was more significant to me than anything else.

I Lost My Defender My Mother’s Death
“When we look at the events of June 12 1993, it brings up a lot of emotions for me,” Abdulmumuni added, reflecting on the agony the annulment caused to both individuals and the country. Following the annulment of the election, I recall my father fighting to obtain his mandate and to obtain justice for what he believed to be the unjust annulment of the election. He was then taken into custody. Eventually, he died. My mother came out and attempted to have him released when he was detained, but she lost her life in the process. I am aware of what was lost. In my mother, I lost a friend, a defender, and a guardian.

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Because of that incident or time period, I essentially became an orphan. You see, I’ve always led a life; forgiveness is a concept in my religion, and my father was always one to turn the other cheek. It discusses how to forgive for your own sake so that you can truly move on, not necessarily for the sake of the offender. In my opinion, the Abiola family experienced trauma, but the Nigerian nation also experienced trauma. You talked about some of your coworkers’ experiences during that period and how terrified they were. For many Nigerians, it was unclear what the future held. Many outstanding Nigerians left the country because they believed it was unredeemable. Additionally, there was a significant brain drain during that time.