Renowned human rights activist and convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, Omoyele Sowore, has issued a fiery call for the prosecution and imprisonment of former Nigerian leaders responsible for the annulment of the historic June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Sowore specifically named former military dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (retd); former President Olusegun Obasanjo; former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd); and former Senate President, David Mark as key figures who must face justice for truncating Nigeria’s democratic process.
His demand follows the release of Babangida’s autobiography, A Journey in Service, which was launched on February 20, 2025, at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. In the book, Babangida admitted that MKO Abiola won the 1993 presidential election, a fact that has long been a point of national contention.
Reacting via his X page, Sowore condemned Babangida and his cohorts, stating that their actions led to decades of political instability, the incarceration, and eventual death of Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola.
> “MKO Abiola won the June 12, 1993 election. He satisfied all the requirements to be declared President of Nigeria. Says evil man Babangida.
This is the reason these guys—Babangida, Obasanjo, Abubakar Salam, and David Mark—must be in jail.”
Sowore, who was at the forefront of pro-democracy struggles in the 1990s, insists that merely acknowledging Abiola’s victory is not enough, emphasizing that those behind the annulment must face legal consequences.
The June 12, 1993 election, regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest, saw MKO Abiola, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, securing a decisive victory. However, Babangida’s regime annulled the election before Abiola could be formally declared president, triggering widespread protests, violent crackdowns, and a prolonged struggle for democracy.
The aftermath saw Abiola arrested in 1994 after declaring himself president, and he tragically died in detention under suspicious circumstances in 1998. His death remains a dark chapter in Nigeria’s history.
While successive governments have posthumously honored Abiola—most notably with the declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day—Sowore argues that true justice will only be served when those responsible for robbing Nigeria of a democratic transition answer for their crimes.
During the launch of his book, Babangida, speaking through former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, acknowledged that Abiola not only won the election but also had the required geographical spread to be declared Nigeria’s legitimate president.
He further admitted that annulling the election was “the most challenging decision of his life.”
However, critics, including Sowore, argue that Babangida’s confession is too little, too late, calling for legal action rather than mere historical acknowledgment.
Despite the significance of Babangida’s revelation, Nigeria’s political elite have largely remained silent on the possibility of revisiting the crimes of June 12. With Sowore reigniting the call for justice, the question remains:
Will Nigeria finally hold its past leaders accountable, or will history continue to be rewritten without consequences?
PIONEER NEWS 