Former Jigawa State Governor and ex-National Secretary of the defunct Social Democratic Party, Sule Lamido, has attributed the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, won by the late MKO Abiola, to a significant unpaid debt of N45 billion owed to Abiola by the military government of the late General Murtala Mohammed.
Speaking on Tuesday in Abuja during the launch of his autobiography, Being True to Myself, Lamido explained that after General Mohammed’s death, the military refused to pay Abiola for contracts executed by International Telephone and Telecommunication for the Ministry of Communications. When Abiola won the election, the military feared that if he assumed office, he would demand the debt repayment, potentially bankrupting the nation.
Lamido stated, “When (General) Murtala (Muhammed) died, Abiola came in with a claim that he was owed, I think, about N45bn for contracts executed. The military high command at that time said no. They cancelled the June 12 elections because if they made him President, he would take his money and the country would become bankrupt.”
He appealed to President Bola Tinubu to pay the debt to Abiola’s family, saying this would close the long-standing June 12 saga. “In his book, General Ibrahim Babangida acknowledged that Abiola won the election… He was doubly punished: first, denied the presidency; second, denied what is owed to him.”
The event was attended by prominent figures including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who urged Lamido and others not to retire from public service, emphasizing that Nigeria’s progress remains unfinished. President Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Information, praised Lamido’s autobiography and reiterated the administration’s commitment to reforms and national development.
The ceremony also featured calls for more Nigerian leaders to document their experiences, with former INEC Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega encouraging such contributions to Nigeria’s history.
