Former Governor of Abia State and Senator representing Abia North Senatorial District, Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu, has charged former military leader, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida to name all those persons who conspired against the full declaration of the results of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
In his autobiography titled: “A Journey In Service,” IBB disclosed that Chief MKO Abiola won the historic election but some anti-democratic forces in the military led by the then Head of State, late General Sani Abacha scuttled the process of releasing the results of the election.
Kalu, who spoke with journalists at the National Assembly on Tuesday, expressed delight that Babangida had at last, released his long-awaited memoir wherein he revealed that Chief MKO Abiola, then-candidate of the Social Democratic Party ( SDP) won the June 12 elections.
According to Kalu, Babangida’s autobiography, fell short of his expectations because it did not contain all the names of the anti-democratic elements and the roles each played in the June 12 saga.
He advised IBB to release a second edition of the book that would contain all those details that are allegedly missing in the book launched last week.
“I look forward to the second edition of Babangida’s book because the first did not reveal all the realities. I was present during the events of June 12, and I know what happened.
“Babangida should call out the names of those responsible for preventing the election declaration. Moshood Abiola won that election, and there is no doubt about it.,” he said.
Kalu canvassed that since it is now public knowledge that Abiola won that election, his portrait should be placed among Nigeria’s past presidents.
“I commend former President Muhammadu Buhari for giving him ( Abiola) a posthumous national honour, but I would also appeal to President Bola Tinubu to officially recognize him and place his image where it belongs. This would help bring closure to his death for the family,” he said.
Kalu also hailed the testimony by IBB in his book, that the January 15, 1966 coup d’etat was not an “Igbo coup” but a mutiny by some military officers drawn from various ethnic groups in Nigeria.
“The coup in question was not an Igbo coup; it was a Nigerian coup, executed by the military. Unfortunately, some people labelled it the Igbo Coup and the Igbo people have paid dearly for it which is unfair,” Kalu said.
New Telegraph