Long ago, former President Ibrahim Babangida promised some day to tell the “whole truth and nothing but the truth” about the annulment of the result of the June 12 1993 presidential election. However, when he finally did in his autobiography A Journey In Service, launched February 16 in Abuja, what he wrote was a half story of that electoral disaster – what he himself said was his “most difficult challenge.” But more significantly, “a journey in service” turned out to be a journey of self demystification, whether or not intended.
Firstly, IBB denied he annulled the outcome of the election, which clearly showed MKO Abiola won. He said in his book that there was no doubt about Abiola’s victory. But why was that expected outcome not declared? Who didn’t want Abiola as the president? In his autobiography, published 32 years after his forced departure from office, Babangida said the announcement of the cancellation of the election outcome came from the office of his Chief of General Staff, Augustus Aikhomu on the day he was out of Abuja. [He said he was away in Katsina] And who were those opposed to an Abiola presidency? Generals Sani Abacha [who would seize power later in 1993] and Joshua Dogonyaro as well as Brigadier David Mark. The three had the support of the powerful northern monarchy, according to IBB. He declared, “They will kill me; they will kill the President Elect, Chief MKO Abiola, if I went ahead with the election and announced the winner of the election 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.
“Sani (meaning General Sani Abacha) is opposed to a return to civilian rule. Sani cannot 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 the 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. Where do I go from here? They do not trust me. 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 I don’t want to appear ungrateful to Sani; he may not be bright upstairs but he knows how to overthrow governments and overpower coup plotters. He saw to my coming to office in 1985 and to my protection in the many coups I faced in the past, especially the Orkar coup of 1990 where he saved me and my family including my infant daughter.
”Sani risked his life to get me into office in 1983 and 1985; if he says he does not want Chief Abiola, I will not force Chief Abiola on him.
Where do I go from here? They do not trust me. 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 I don’t want to appear ungrateful to Sani; he may not be bright upstairs but he knows how to overthrow governments and overpower coup plotters. He saw to my coming to office in 1985 and to my protection in the many coups I faced in the past, especially the Orkar coup of 1990 where he saved me and my family including my infant daughter.”
Babangida’s mortal dread of the man he called “my friend” was revealed in a lengthy interview he granted journalist/author Karl Marx in 1998 for his book “this house has fallen: NIGERIA IN CRISIS” published in 2000. Babangida told him that his initial plan was to leave office with the entire military high command. But at the last minute, he decided to remove Abacha’s name and instead made him minister of defence. As IBB told Mr Marx, “It was being loyal to a friend, that’s all. But the crux of the whole thing is when eventually we decided that we were going to go, I feared that there could be a younger officers’ intervention in the government. I knew that this country could not afford the luxury of having lieutenant colonels and below as leaders. I felt we needed somebody senior that this country knew. The name alone could be a stabilizing influence.” Wrong. Abacha, as it turned out, was the one that removed his name from the list.
Who would have imagined there were people IBB lived in debilitating fear of.This thought that Babangida had people he dared not touch would surprise not a few. This was IBB who in the heydays of his reign, arrogated to himsel massive power and enjoyed the media notion of him as a “Maradona”, a reference to Babangida’s political machinations and the “evil genius”, a contradiction in terms, but accepted by the general because it enhanced the enigma he said to be. It was a general who didn’t want to be just head of state but president though not elected with massive executive powers to do as he wished.That was the picture we had of him – someone with power to “do and undo.” Someone in the mold of France’s 17th Century King Louis XIV who declared “L’etat, c’est moi” [I am the State]. Power that is like a cache blanche [blank cheque] leads to a keener sense of self preservation. Everybody else is suspected to be an enemy and they must be eliminated. So it was with Babangida who didn’t hesitate to have his fellow tribesman and college mate General Mamman Vatsa executed in 1986 for allegedly plotting a coup. IBB tried to explain Vatsa’s killing in his book but how many would believe him?
Just as many would not believe him when he blames Abacha and Dogonyaro for the June 12 annulment. Why did Babangida wait this long? And why till both are no longer alive to tell their own “truths”? This is presumably left to their families to do. One or two have threatened court actions. If they do, it will add to the incredulity of IBB’s claims but won’t physically eliminate Journey In Service. It will still be there on someone’s bookshelf, if only for its “nonsense value.” As for the writer, he will feel a heavy weight of tortured conscience lifted. What more, there are cheques worth some N16 million waiting for him to encash for writing a book that some say isn’t worth the name. Too, IBB will revel in Yakubu Gowon’s thank you for restoring his military rank taken away after the February 13 coup in which he was implicated. Incumbent President Tinubu, who was present during the launch but said nothing, will be quietly grateful to IBB for bringing out his autobiography at the time most Nigerians are complaining loudly about the punishing effects of his hard economic measures. For the next one month or two, people will still be talking about IBB’s book and during this time Tinubu can afford a good night sleep. Some already have passed a 2027 judgement. Tinubu won’t come back for a second term, they say. But there are still two years to go; the pendulum may still swing his way, who knows. Politics in Nigeria are such a tenuous thing, they change like the weather.
