June 12 The Saga: Why IBB Should Face Justice

The hall was filled with laughter, clinking glasses, and the hum of camaraderie. Former heads of state, political elites, and wealthy donors gathered in Abuja to celebrate the launch of General Ibrahim Babangida’s book.

Over ₦17.5 billion was raised in a single afternoon, a staggering sum that could have transformed the lives of millions of Nigerians. Yet, as the champagne flowed and praises were heaped upon the former military ruler, one question lingered in the air, unspoken but heavy: What about June 12?  
 
June 12, 1993, was supposed to be Nigeria’s finest hour—a day when democracy triumphed, and the voice of the people echoed loud and clear. Moshood Abiola, a man of the people, won the freest and fairest election in Nigeria’s history.

But that victory was stolen, not by the people, but by one man: Ibrahim Babangida. His annulment of the election was not just a political decision; it was a betrayal of the nation’s trust, a dagger plunged into the heart of Nigeria’s democracy.  
 
The consequences of that annulment are still felt today. It birthed a cycle of political instability, military coups, and a culture of impunity that has plagued Nigeria for decades. The hopes of millions were dashed, and the country was plunged into darkness. Abiola himself paid the ultimate price, dying in detention while fighting for the mandate freely given to him by the people.  
 
Yet, here was IBB, surrounded by the very elites who once vilified him, now showering him with praise and donations. The irony was not lost on those who remember. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in his speech, pointedly remarked that Babangida had a golden opportunity to make history by inaugurating Abiola but chose instead to annul the election. That single act, Tinubu noted, was the genesis of Nigeria’s current predicament.  
 
But where is the justice for June 12? Where is the accountability for the lives lost, the dreams shattered, and the democracy derailed? The annulment was not just a political misstep; it was an act of treason against the Nigerian people. Babangida’s book may attempt to rewrite history, but the truth remains: he robbed Nigeria of its destiny.  
 
The ₦17.5 billion raised at the book launch could have been used to rebuild schools, provide healthcare, or empower the less privileged. Instead, it was lavished on a man who has yet to atone for his sins. The elite may have forgiven him, but the Nigerian people have not.  
 
Is time to right the wrongs of the past? Should Babangida be held accountable for the annulment of June 12? and should the law must take its course, not out of vengeance, but out of a commitment to justice and the rule of law? These are million dollar questions begging for answers but those who gathered to celebrate him must also reflect on their complicity in perpetuating a system that rewards impunity and silences the voices of the oppressed.  
 
LN247 spoke with Omoyele Sowore a human rights activist who witnessed the crackdown on civil society at the time.

“We shouldn’t be calling for justice, we should be applying justice at this time, calling for justice means we haven’t decided whether justice should happen or not, we should be working at this time, people should be facing trial, we should be preparing them to face trial for the humongous monumental crime against the Nigerian people which is unarguably treason committed in 1993 by former dictator Babaginda and his friends some of them are civilian some of them are in the military.

Some have died and some are still alive but the ones that are still alive led by Babaginda should be cooling their feet behind bars by now, this type of crime does not have limitation in terms of when somebody can be punished for it, it can happen at any time he should have been behind bars since the completion of the annulment of the election but they planned it so carefully and he has said it so many times that when they were going to hand over power you had played some of the clips or footages of when he was in his disheveled military uniform where he was saying that there were electoral malpractices.

but I think for the first time in the history of the country he didn’t just take responsibility, he confessed to having annul a free and fair election and that point makes it more sense for him to be arrested”.

June 12 was more than an election; it was a promise of what Nigeria could be. That promise was stolen, but it is not too late to reclaim it. Justice for June 12 is not just about holding one man accountable; it is about restoring the faith of the Nigerian people in their democracy. It is about ensuring that such a betrayal never happens again.  
 
As the elites toast to IBB’s legacy, let us remember the legacy he denied Nigeria. Let us remember Abiola, the people’s president, Kudirat who was assasinated and the countless others who suffered because of one man’s actions and ambition. The injustice of the June 12 elections anullment calls for a reckoning with the past to build a better future.