Ibrahim Babaginda’s claim that he was pressured to annul the June 13, 1993, elections won by late Moshood Abiola has been contradicted by General Ishola Williams rtd.
General Williams who was the only officer during the military regime era not to hold a political office claimed that Babaginda all along had prepared late General Sanni Abacha to take over from him when he stepped down as Military President.
In his recently released memoir, General Babaginda claimed that it was a collection of military officers who never wanted Abiola to be President to forced him to cancel the election, the freest and fairest ever conducted in Nigeria.
“Gen Babangida forgot to mention that he used to call Gen Abacha the Khalipha, which meant that one way or the other, he was encouraging Gen Abacha to succeed him,” said General Williams while speaking on Channels Television.
“I asked him: ‘Did you have a blood oath with Abacha that he would succeed you?’ But he refused to answer. This was in Minna, one-on-one, at the Presidential Guest House.”
Gen Williams disclosed that before the interim government was established, a secret meeting was held among top military officers, with the late Attorney General, Clement Akpamgbo, as the only civilian present.
“When the discussion started about June 12, I was shocked. I thought we came to discuss the handover process, not an annulment,” he said.
“I said we don’t need the transitional government, but it was ruled out. The whole decree was planned in such a way so that Abacha could take over,” he explained.
