June 12: Lamido seeks payment of N45bn debt to Abiola family
By Ndukaku Ihe
Former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, has charged President Bola Tinubu to pay the N45 billion debt owed the late winner of the June 12 presidential election, MKO Abiola by the Federal Government.
Lamido, who was the former National Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), gave the charge, at the launch of his autobiography ” Being True to My Self”, on Tuesday, in Abuja.
The former governor argued that the payment of the debt would serve as closure to the June 12 struggle and unjust treatment of Abiola, whose victory at the June 12 , 1993 presidential poll was annulled by the military.
AbeyaNews reports that the late Abiola, who was the SDP candidate in the 1993 presidential poll, was leading in the contest when President Ibrahim Babangida’s administration stopped the release of the results and subsequently annulled the election.
Babangida, in his autobiography, “My Journey in Service”, launched recently, confirmed that Abiola actually won the poll.
Lamido explained that “when (General) Murtala (Muhammed) died, Abiola came in with a claim that he was owed, I think, about N45 billon for contracts executed by International Telephone and Telecommunication for the Ministry of Communications.
“The military high command at that time said no. He went round the Emirs in the North to lobby and the emirs asked that they (military) should please pay the money. They (military) said they cancelled the June 12 elections because if they made him President, he would take his money and the country will become bankrupt. Those who were close to Abacha should know this, because Abacha was then one of the big shots; they were all aware.”
The former governor added: “I want to appeal to President Tinubu to finally close the chapter of June 12. In his book, General Ibrahim Babangida acknowledged that Abiola won the election.
“When I visited him, he also confirmed that Abiola is owed N45 billion. He was doubly punished: first, denied the presidency; second, denied what is owed to him.”
Consequently, he implored the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammad Malagi, who represented President Tinubu at the event, to deliver his message to the president.
“Please tell the president to pay the Abiola family the N45 billion. Once this is done, the June 12 chapter will be closed. It is very important”, he posited.
