The family of the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola has slammed former military Head of State Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), saying his memoir has reopened old wounds.

In the controversial autobiography released in February, Babangida finally admitted that MKO won the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which his government declared annulled.

The June 12 election has been a touchy topic in the country, with different parties narrating conflicting accounts of the events.

However, the former military ruler, who had been expected to lay the issue to rest in his memoir: “A Journey in Service,” only seemed to have opened up a can of worms with his confession.

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The book reviewer, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had said: “He also answers the question whether Abiola actually won the June 12 election, and I quote him, ‘although I am on record to have stated after the election that Abiola may not have won the election, upon deeper reflection and a closer examination of all available facts, particularly the detailed election results, which are published as an appendix to this book, there was no doubt that MKO Abiola won the June 12 elections.”

Abiola's family slams Babangida

Meanwhile, Kola Abiola, in a statement on behalf of the late MKO family, said Babangida's account has reopened painful memories of the tragic events of the annulled election.

The Abiola family maintained that lessons from the annulled June 12 election had not been learnt, expressing disbelief at how long it took Babangida to acknowledge what the world already knew publicly.

“It took the former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, an incredibly long 32 years to confirm what the whole world knew all along—that Bashorun MKO Abiola won the 1993 presidential election,” Kola said.

Kola, MKO's first son, said the June 12 election's significance extended beyond just his family, stressing that many other families were directly impacted by the annulment, leading to numerous loss of lives.

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“There were so many other families directly affected, and lives lost as a result of the annulment, not to mention the profound impact on the unity and economic development of our great country, Nigeria, to date,” he added.