Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, a former Governor of Abia State and current senator representing Abia North, has called on President Bola Tinubu to officially recognize the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola as one of Nigeria’s past presidents. Kalu’s call comes as a response to revelations made by former military president Gen. Ibrahim Babangida in his newly released memoirs, in which he confirmed that Abiola won the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
In a press statement to Senate correspondents before the plenary session on Tuesday, February 25, Kalu passionately argued that Abiola’s electoral victory, which was annulled by Babangida’s military government, should be formally acknowledged by the Nigerian government. The senator believes that the recognition would offer closure and justice for Abiola’s family, who endured years of hardship following his unjust imprisonment after the annulment.
MKO Abiola’s victory in the 1993 election was widely seen as a milestone in Nigeria’s democratic journey. However, his victory was annulled by General Babangida, leading to widespread unrest across the country. Abiola, who was imprisoned for years after the annulment, died under suspicious circumstances in 1998 while still fighting for the recognition of his electoral mandate.
Kalu, who has long championed the cause of Abiola’s recognition, has called for the late businessman and politician’s portrait to be placed alongside those of other former Nigerian leaders in the Presidential Villa. He also urged President Tinubu to officially declare Abiola as a president posthumously.
“Yes, Abiola won the election. And I will say President Tinubu should declare him a president posthumously,” Kalu stated. He highlighted that this recognition was necessary not only to honour Abiola’s victory but also to bring peace and dignity to his family, who have suffered from years of silence on the issue.
Kalu also took the opportunity to commend the efforts of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who posthumously honoured Abiola with the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) in 2018. However, Kalu argued that further recognition was required.
“I commend former President Buhari for giving him a national honour, but I also appeal to President Tinubu to officially recognize him and place his image where it belongs. This would help bring succour to his family,” Kalu said.
Kalu’s statements come after the release of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida’s much-anticipated memoir, A Journey in Service, where the former military leader admitted that Abiola was the true winner of the June 12 election. Babangida, who annulled the election in 1993, had previously kept his involvement in the annulment largely under wraps. However, in his memoir, he acknowledged Abiola’s victory and shed light on the political tensions that led to the annulment.
The revelations in Babangida’s book have sparked renewed discussions about the legitimacy of the annulled 1993 election and the legacy of Nigeria’s democratic struggles. Kalu, who was active in Nigerian politics during this period, described Babangida’s memoir as “incomplete,” urging the former military president to release a second volume that would provide clearer answers about the annulment process.
“I look forward to the second edition of Babangida’s book because the first did not reveal all the realities,” Kalu said. “I was present during the events of June 12, and I know what happened. Babangida should call out the names of those responsible for preventing the election declaration.”
Kalu’s calls reflect the ongoing demand for accountability in the wake of the annulment, with many Nigerians still seeking answers about the individuals and forces behind the decision to cancel the results of the election.
The June 12, 1993, election is considered one of the freest and fairest elections in Nigeria’s history. MKO Abiola, a successful businessman, and philanthropist, won the election with overwhelming support across the country. His victory represented a chance for Nigerians to experience true democratic governance after years of military rule.
However, the annulment of the election by General Babangida sparked outrage and led to protests and violence across the nation. Abiola was subsequently arrested and imprisoned, with many Nigerians believing that his imprisonment was politically motivated to prevent him from assuming office. The annulment of the election was a significant moment in Nigeria’s political history and remains a source of deep national trauma.
In 2018, the Nigerian government under President Muhammadu Buhari acknowledged the significance of June 12 by declaring it Nigeria’s new Democracy Day and posthumously awarding Abiola the GCFR, the country’s highest national honour. While the move was widely welcomed, Kalu’s recent statements reflect the ongoing calls for more formal recognition of Abiola as the legitimate winner of the 1993 election.
Beyond the call for Abiola’s recognition, Kalu also addressed broader issues in Nigeria’s political history. He strongly refuted claims that the 1966 military coup, which led to the assassination of then-Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and other political leaders, was an ethnic conspiracy. Some have labelled the coup as an “Igbo coup,” but Kalu, an Igbo himself, insisted that it was a “Nigerian coup, executed by the military.”
“The 1966 coup was not an ethnic coup, and I want to make it clear that it was a Nigerian coup, executed by the military. It was not an Igbo coup,” Kalu stated. “We must stop allowing ethnicity to divide us and start recognising the fact that these events were part of our national history, not just the history of one ethnic group.”
