The former Governor of Ogun State and chieftain of the then defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Olusegun Osoba has disclosed that the winner of the 1992 Presidential election, late Moshood Abiola received news of annulment of the election while aboard an aircraft.
Penpushing reports that the disclosure of the shocking development on the known free and fairest election in Nigeria was contained in his book,’Battlelines: Adventures in Journalism and Politics’, stressing that the day was a day he hate to remember
The author recalled that he was in a chattered aircraft from Kastina heading to Lagos with Abiola who was then waiting to be declared as President-Elect, when they got announcement through the pilot of the plane that the military regime under General Ibrahim Babangida had annulled the election
‘Wednesday June 23, 1993 was the exact opposite of June 12, 1993. It was a day when the light of hope of a glorious dawn that June 12 signified, was eclipsed and filled with despair, confusion, gloom and doom of a senseless annulment’, Osoba lamented
Penpushing further reports that the renowned veteran journalist emphasized that it was a day that should be buried deep in the dustbin of history, but it is so difficult to forget, lamenting that it was a day he hate to remember.
‘It is a day that should be buried deep in the dustbin of history, but is so difficult to forget. It is a day I hate to remember, but it keeps coming back. I was in a chartered aircraft from Kastina heading for Lagos with Chief Abiola, who was waiting to be declared President-Elect when the pilot announced to us that the military regime had annulled the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, eleven days after the Presidential election’, Osoba recalled
Penpushing also reports that, Osoba, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC),however, pointed out that it should not have taken more than 24 hours for the winner to be declared and the loser concede defeat.
‘And it almost happened in Nigeria with Alhaji Bashir Tofa of the NRC about to concede defeat and pledge support to the new government under Abiola, until he was prevented from doing so’, Osoba wrote
Penpushing reports that Osoba in the book said the passengers in the plane on the fateful day include: Abiola’s running mate, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, the then Senate President, Dr Iyorcha Ayu and some Social Democratic Party (SDP) Governors.
‘We were flying back from Katsina where we had attended the burial of Alhaji Mus Yaradua, the father of one of our party chieftains, Major General Shehu Musa Yaradua(rtd). The senior Yaradua had died on June 22 and was buried the next day according to muslim rites’, he recalled.
‘Abiola and those of us close to him were still embroiled in making contacts to ensure that the National Electoral Commission(INEC) officially released the remaining results of the presidential election and declared Abiola the winner’, he stated
‘We were already in possession of the results released in all states of the federation and Abiola had won overwhelmingly. He won in 19 out of the 30 states outright,and more than one-fourth of the votes in most of the remaining 11 states’
‘’All that remained was for the national headquarters of NEC to officially proclaim the results from a handful of states after certifying them. But our field workers and the local as well as international observers already had the full returns
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