The late former Nigerian Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha’s family has said that former military Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) was responsible for the annulment of the June 12 presidential election and not their late father.
The family in a statement issued Sunday by Mohammed Abacha stated this while reacting to claims made by IBB in his book, ‘A Journey in Service:, where he alleged that Abacha was responsible for the annulment of the election.
The Abacha family stressed that for years, various actors have attempted to rewrite the history of that critical period in Nigeria’s democratic evolution, however, the facts remain unchanged.
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Mohammed Abacha urged Nigerians to be wary of revisionist narratives that seek to manipulate public perception for personal or political reasons.
He added that the memory of their late father and leader must not be tarnished by baseless accusations meant to absolve those who were truly responsible.
The younger Abacha maintained that despite the unfortunate attempt to shift blame, his father remained a true and loyal friend to IBB up to the time of his death.
Mohammed Abacha stressed that his father was a man of unwavering commitment to his comrades, adding that at a time Babangida’s life was under threat, it was the late general who came to his rescue, ensuring his safety.
“It is important to state unequivocally that General Sani Abacha was neither the Head of State nor the Commander-in-Chief at the time the June 12 election was annulled.
“The decision to annul the election was made under the administration of General Ibrahim Babangida, who, as the then Head of State, held absolute executive powers and was solely responsible for the actions of his government.
“Any attempt to shift this blame onto General Sani Abacha, who was a very senior military officer within the regime, is a deliberate distortion of historical facts.”
“We regret that ‘A Journey in Service’ missed the opportunity and failed to make history as a truthful and objective account of past events. As one public commentator aptly put it, honesty, sincerity and integrity are virtues not commonly associated with the author.”
