The Presidency has strongly refuted claims by former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, alleging President Bola Tinubu supported the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
In a press release issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency described Lamido’s remarks as false and a distortion of historical facts. It emphasized that Tinubu, then a senator, openly opposed the annulment on the Senate floor, labeling it a “coup d’état” and urging Nigerians to reject injustice.
The statement also dismissed Lamido’s allegation that Tinubu’s mother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, mobilised market women in support of the annulment. It affirmed that Mogaji remained neutral and would have lost her leadership position if she had done otherwise.
Contrasting Tinubu’s stance with Lamido’s, the statement accused the former SDP secretary of failing to resist military rule, alongside party chairman Tony Anenih, who were said to have capitulated to the military and denied MKO Abiola his mandate.
The release chronicled Tinubu’s active involvement in the pro-democracy struggle, including his role in the formation of NADECO, his years in exile, and his support for the resistance against the Abacha regime. It also referenced his arrest and continued financing of June 12 protests, underscoring his unwavering commitment to democracy.
The Presidency advised Lamido to verify his facts and avoid revising history for political motives, concluding that Tinubu’s democratic record remains untainted, unlike that of those who “capitulated in the face of military oppression.”
