Death Threat Forced Ibb To Annul June 12, Says Arisekola Alao

Over 17 years after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, presumably won by business mongul, late Chief MKO Abiola, a close associate of the late politician, Alhaji Abdulazeez Arisekola Alao, has absolved the former military President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd), of guilt over the annulment.
Arisekola Alao, who is also a close associate of Babangida, at a press conference in Ibadan, which was reported by the Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), monitored yesterday in Abuja, laid the entire blame on some members of the then Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC), whom he accused of threatening Babangida’s life.
Arisekola Alao revealed that besides Babangida, AFRC members had threatened to kill both Abiola if the final results of the election were declared.
He said the threat by the military top brass left IBB with no option than to halt the announcement of the pending results and the subsequent annulment of the entire election.
“Wallahi Tallahi, Billahillazi la’ila ha illahuwa, and we are in the month of Ramadan, that is what happened at that time. It was after the election that members of the Armed Forces Ruling Council threatened to kill both MKO Abiola and IBB if he insisted on releasing the result of the election. They threatened to kill both IBB and Abiola,” he recalled.
According to him, Babangida had earlier advised Abiola not contest the election because of his poor health condition.
Arisekola Alao quoted the former military leader of having warned Abiola that his involvement with politics would negatively affect the running of his business.
IBB, who has always taken full responsibility of the annulment of June 12 election, has repeatedly described the annulment as a collective decision.
Meanwhile, the Babangida Presidential Campaign Organisation yesterday called on former President Olusegun Obasanjo to behave as a true leader and maintain his neutrality over who emerges as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2011 polls.
The advice was contained in a press statement signed by the campaign organisation’s Director of Media and Communications, Prince Kassim Afegbua.
The statement reads in part: “The campaign team found it extremely incomprehensible to decipher reasons behind the endorsement of a presidential dream that has not been formally declared by the President.
“Former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who is the chairman of the Board of Trustees of our great party, has repeatedly said that he and other party chieftains would maintain their neutrality to all aspirants but would exercise their rights to vote at the primaries for an aspirant of their choice. The recent reported endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan, who has not declared his intention to run, defeats the earlier neutrality position of former President Olusegun Obasanjo on choice of aspirants.
“As one of the leaders of the party, a former President and elder statesman, we expect that his word should be his bond. We will not be drawn into any argument with those who easily suspect the political moves of former President Obasanjo, but we insist that a true leader should stand by his word,” it said.
The IBB campaign team also faulted a prediction that 18 states are already backing Jonathan, while only 12 are supporting the former military president.
The statement reads further: “The reported endorsement of the undeclared intention of President Goodluck Jonathan by the South-West PDP and non-PDP members does not reflect the actual permutations on ground. The South-West is no doubt a politically sophisticated and enlightened zone comprising distinguished Nigerians who are well familiar and at home with the political dynamics of the country.
“It is, therefore, unlikely that such distinguished, enlightened, civilised and politically-conscious people would reportedly concede to the endorsement of an aspirant that has neither declared nor made public his intentions. We suspect that someone is trying to be smart by half.”
Faulting a report that claimed Jonathan was ahead of IBB with six states, the IBB campaign team said such figures were not only disputable but unrealistic, “in view of the fact that most incumbent state governors, have not declared their positions.”
It added: “It is therefore too early in the day for any political observer to draw conclusions on that basis particularly on a delegate election that is about to commence except that the public is being made to understand that the forthcoming elections, despite repeated assurances of credibility, would go the way of other previous elections.

We believe very strongly that former President, General Ibrahim Babangida remains a major contender thus far amongst those who have boldly declared their intentions under the platform of our dear party, the PDP. We wish to reassure our overwhelming supporters and followers nationwide to be steadfast and committed in their usual spirit and love for our aspirant; General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.”