Lekan Abiola, one of the sons of the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, has disclosed that former military president General Ibrahim Babangida (retd) has apologised to the family for invalidating the June 12 1993 election.
Abiola stated this at the MKO Abiola Memorial Symposium and the unveiling of the forthcoming book MKO Abiola: Symbol of Democracy, held in Lagos under the aegis of the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND).
He urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure the Federal Government settles all outstanding entitlements owed to his late father.
Speaking to newsmen, Abiola described Babangida’s public apology as a significant relief to the family, as it helped put to rest longstanding controversies surrounding the annulled election.
He said, “Ever since we returned from the United States, we have met with IBB, and he apologised to us privately. When he later came out publicly to say he was sorry for annulling the election and acknowledged that MKO won, he simply repeated in public what he had said privately. Every year, he sends someone to represent him at the June 12 events.
“Before now, the private apology didn’t go far. It felt like being punched in public and receiving a quiet ‘sorry’ behind closed doors. His public admission that MKO won the election brings us peace and puts any lingering doubts to rest. Some people used to question whether he really won, but now that IBB has released the full results, it is officially acknowledged—there’s no more controversy.”