Hafsat Abiola-Costello, daughter of the late MKO Abiola and Kudirat Abiola, has responded to former military leader, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida’s recent admission that her father won the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
Babangida made the revelation in Abuja on Thursday during the launch of his memoir, ‘A Journey In Service’, acknowledging that MKO Abiola had indeed won the historic election.
Reacting on Friday, Abiola-Costello said the former military leader’s admission should put an end to any doubts surrounding the legitimacy of the election.
“For those that kept expressing doubt that Nigerians had spoken so decisively on that day, I’m glad that General IBB’s admission that MKO won the election can now lay the matter to rest,” she stated.
She reflected on the significance of June 12, saying it goes beyond just her parents, MKO and Kudirat Abiola. According to her, the day represents the collective hope of Nigerians for a better and more united country.
The statement reads, “When anyone mentions June 12, my mind always goes to MKO and Kudi. But June 12’s staying power was because the vote that Nigerians expressed that day was a vote for a better future and for unity. MKO may have been the symbol of the Hope ‘93 campaign but June 12 was about more than one man, it was about the promise of Nigeria that would deliver for Nigerians.
“For those that kept expressing doubt that Nigerians had spoken so decisively on that day, I’m glad that General IBB’s admission that MKO won the election can now lay the matter to rest.
“It’s sad that such a galvanising statement as the breakthrough vote for MKO should have been truncated by an unjust annulment. But I will be forever grateful to both MKO and Kudi for not allowing their fears for their personal safety stand in the way of the people’s desire for a better Nigeria. May such commitment endure.”
