Maryam Abacha, widow of Nigeria’s former military ruler, General Sani Abacha, who died in office on 8 June 1998, has challenged the assertions in a recent autobiography by her husband’s immediate predecessor, General Ibrahim Babangida that the late Head of State orchestrated the 12 June 1993 election annulment, which was won by Chief Moshood Abiola
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In an interview aired on TVC to mark 27 years since the death of her husband, Maryam challenged Babangida’s assertion that her late husband was to blame for the annulment of the widely acclaimed presidential election, considered Nigeria’s freest and fairest.
Maryam insisted that the annulment was not masterminded by her husband. She described the allegation as unfair and politically motivated, particularly as her late husband is no longer alive to defend himself.
‘I am not here to talk about Babangida or anybody. I don’t wish to talk about anything or anybody. All I know is that that annulment was not done by my husband, and then if it was him, that means he was very powerful’, she said.
Her reaction comes just days before the 32nd anniversary of the annulled election, which is marked annually as Democracy Day on 12 June.
During the launch of his autobiography, A Journey of Service, last 20 February, Babangida said that Abacha, then Chief of Defence Staff, led the forces that annulled the 12 June 1993 election without his (Babangida’s) approval.
Beyond the 12 June 1993 controversy, the former First Lady also vehemently dismissed allegations that Abacha looted Nigeria’s treasury during his reign as military Head of State from 1993 to 1998.
She maintained that the funds were not looted, suggesting instead that her husband’s financial dealings were deliberately misrepresented.
‘Who is the witness of the monies that were being stashed? Did you see the signature or the evidence of any monies stashed abroad’” she demanded, calling for credible evidence from those making the claims.
She further questioned why ‘the monies that my husband kept for Nigeria, in a few months, vanished’, urging Nigerians to stop ‘telling lies and blaming people’. She appealed to journalists to ‘try to educate the people,’ and foster ‘goodness in our hearts’.
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The former First Lady further praised her late husband’s leadership style, making particular allusion to Abacha’s regional peacekeeping efforts, especially in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
