The Presidency has refuted claims made by former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, alleging that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu supported the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, described Lamido’s remarks as false, misleading, and a deliberate attempt at historical revisionism.
Lamido, who spoke during a live television appearance, accused Tinubu of rising to national prominence only after the formation of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO). He also alleged that the President’s late mother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, mobilised market women in support of the election annulment.
Onanuga dismissed these claims as baseless, noted that Alhaja Mogaji never rallied support for the annulment and would have lost her position as Lagos market leader had she done so.
He further stated that Tinubu was one of the few senators who boldly opposed the annulment while serving in the National Assembly. Quoting Tinubu’s Senate contribution on August 19, 1993, the statement emphasized that the then-Lagos West Senator condemned the annulment as “another coup d’état,” calling on Nigerians to resist injustice and lawlessness.
“President Tinubu’s words are on record. He stood firmly against the annulment and was among those who regrouped to challenge military rule after the democratic structures were dissolved by the Abacha regime,” Onanuga stated.
He recounted how Tinubu was arrested and detained along with other lawmakers for their defiance, continued to support the pro-democracy movement financially, and later fled into exile following Abacha’s crackdown on activists.
The statement also clarified that Tinubu played a significant role in NADECO and supported Professor Wole Soyinka’s NALICON with resources during the height of the struggle for the restoration of democracy.
“While Lamido and others made political compromises with the military, Tinubu was funding and sustaining the June 12 struggle from exile. It is shameful that Lamido, despite acknowledging Tinubu’s NADECO role, now attempts to discredit his long-standing democratic credentials,” the Presidency added.
Onanuga described Lamido’s comments as part of a campaign by a “Coalition of the Disgruntled” and urged him to verify facts before making public statements.
“The facts remain clear: President Tinubu was and remains a steadfast advocate for democracy, unlike those who capitulated during the nation’s darkest hour,” the statement concluded.
