Nigerian lawyer and human rights activist Femi Falana has asserted that former military president Ibrahim Babangida never intended to relinquish power willingly, alleging instead a calculated plan to transform himself into a civilian leader.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with TheLagacySeries, Falana detailed the former ruler’s strategy, describing a systematic effort to clear the political landscape of rivals.
According to the senior advocate, Babangida’s eight-year rule was characterized by a deliberate effort to ban prominent politicians, creating a controlled environment where his transition to civilian presidency would be seamless.
His words detailed how Babangida grew comfortable after the two political parties he decreed into existence, the National Republican Convention and the Social Democratic Party, presented candidates he considered allies.
With Moshood Abiola and Bashir Tofa as the respective presidential candidates, Falana suggested the military leader anticipated a scenario where either contender would step aside in his favor following the election.
The activist recounted that the situation shifted when Babangida moved to halt the annulment process midway through the announcement of results.
Falana explained that the former leader could not allow the election’s conclusion because it would have signified the definitive end of military rule.
He further noted that Babangida resorted to using the judiciary to stop the process entirely, effectively cementing the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election.
His words: “Babangida was not going to go. He wasn’t going to leave power. He wanted to metamorphose from a military dictator into a civilian president. He was in power for eight years. So he wanted to become a civilian president. So he was banning everybody. He then became comfortable when the two parties decreed by him, NRC and SDP, produced two of his friends: MKO and Tofa. So he was comfortable. I’m sure he was expecting either of them to step down for him if they won. But what happened was that he didn’t want the results of the election announced because that would have been the end of military rule. So midway into the declaration of the results, he stopped it and used the court to stop it.”