13/06/2026
"I CANNOT KILL MYSELF FOR THE SAKE OF WHAT THE COUNTRY WANTS."
These Were Babangida's Own Words.
About Why He Annulled June 12.
For 33 years, Nigerians have asked one question.
Why did Babangida annul the freest election Nigeria ever held?
The answer, in his own words has been hiding in a book.
A book written by Professor Omo Omoruyi — Babangida's closest political confidant and friend throughout his eight years as military president.
The book is titled: "The Tale of June 12: The Betrayal of the Democratic Rights of Nigerians." Published 1999. It is an insider's account of the intrigues that characterised Babangida's transition programme.
What Omoruyi recorded in that book is one of the most explosive confessions in Nigerian political history.
June 21, 1993. Two Days Before The Annulment.
Omoruyi arrived at Babangida's office. The General locked the door. What followed was a private conversation between two men, one holding the fate of a nation in his hands.
Babangida spoke first.
"They will kill me. They will kill the President-Elect — Chief MKO Abiola, if I go ahead with the election and announce the winner. Which we all know to be Bashorun, Chief MKO Abiola. I know so. I am not daft. He won. He tried. I feel bad about the whole matter."
Then he said the words that should haunt Nigeria forever:
"I cannot kill myself for the sake of what the country wants. I am sorry."
A General. Who Could Not Lay Down His Life For His Country.
Omoruyi recorded his astonishment in the book.
It was astonishing to hear a General state that he could not lay down his life for his country. It was clear that General Babangida was in a fix as of June 21 1993.
Then Omoruyi pressed him.
Who are "they"?
Who would kill you and Abiola?
Babangida named them.
The Men Who Killed June 12
"Sani Abacha is opposed to a return to civilian rule. Sani could not stand the idea of Chief Abiola — a Yoruba becoming his Commander-in-Chief."
"Sani seems to have the ears of the Northern leaders, that no Southerner, especially from the South-West, should become the President of this country. Sani seems to rally the Northern elders to confront me on the matter. He is winning. The Sultan and the Northern leaders are of this frame of mind."
Then Babangida revealed something even more extraordinary.
"Without Sani, I will not be alive today. Without the North, I would not have become an officer in the Nigerian Army and now the President of Nigeria."
"Sani risked his life to get me into office in 1983 and 1985. He saved my family and me during the Orkar coup of 1990, including my infant daughter."
"If he says he does not want Chief Abiola, I will not force Chief Abiola on him."
The Man Who Said He Would Shoot Abiola
Babangida also named two other military figures opposed to Abiola:
Lieutenant-General Joshua Dongoyaro and Brigadier-General David Mark, who later became Senate President of Nigeria.
And he quoted David Mark directly:
"I'd shoot Chief Abiola the day NEC pronounces him the elected President."
The man who would later preside over Nigeria's Senate, threatened to shoot the man Nigeria had elected as president.
What This Conversation Reveals
Babangida did not annul June 12 because Abiola was unqualified.
He did not annul it because the election was flawed.
He did not annul it because of court injunctions.
He annulled it because:
Abacha threatened him
Northern military elites threatened him
He feared for his life
He felt he owed Abacha a debt he could not repay And he chose his own survival over Nigeria's democracy
"I cannot kill myself for the sake of what the country wants."
That is the true story of June 12.
Not electoral irregularities.
Not legal technicalities.
One man's fear.
And another man's threat.
And Then The Final Irony
The man Babangida annulled the election to protect,
General Sani Abacha overthrew Babangida's own handpicked successor Shonekan
just three months later.
What was not clear to many Nigerians was that the cancellation of the election, the coming to power of Shonekan and the emergence of Abacha were all choreographed by Babangida himself.
He created the monster.
The monster consumed everything.
Including Nigeria.
Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola.
August 24 1937 — July 7 1998.
He won the election.
The General locked a door and chose fear over democracy.
And Abiola paid with his life.
33 years later, Nigeria is still paying for that locked door.
After reading Babangida's own words, do you think he deserves forgiveness or condemnation? This is one of Nigeria's most important conversations. Drop your honest thoughts below.
Share this. Every Nigerian deserves to know the real reason June 12 was annulled.
This account draws primarily from Professor Omo Omoruyi's book "The Tale of June 12: The Betrayal of the Democratic Rights of Nigerians" published 1999 — written by Babangida's closest political confidant. As with many accounts of private conversations — this represents Omoruyi's record of what was said. As with many major political events in Nigerian history some interpretations remain debated. Constructive corrections and additional sources are welcome.
Credits: from the book, "The tale of June 12: The Betrayal of the Democratic Rights of Nigerians (1993)" by Professor Omorhionwan Omoruyi, Press Alliance Network Limited, 1999
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