Kola Abiola, the scion of late business mogul, Basorun MKO Abiola, has said he never nursed any grudges with former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, over the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Speaking on TVC’s breakfast show, ‘Your View,’ on Friday, Kola said he does not have any problem with Babangida.
“I don’t have a problem with the former president at all and I don’t have any grudges. Like I said, events are determined and pre-determined. It’s up to you to live with your wound going forward. So, I don’t wish him bad,” he said.
When asked if he is friend with the former military president, Kola responded: “I can’t be friends with him, he is like a father figure. Yes, I know him very well, I relate with him very well. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen him in a while. I think I spoke to him the day the award was given.”
He added: “We’ve always had honest discussions. During the annulment, I had unfettered access to him during the whole process and I tried in my own little way to bridge the gap and bring the two together- my father and himself. To my own level of understanding, I played quite a bit of role in that. Both were at the meetings I arranged. I took my dad to the meetings several times. I’ve always been straight and honest with him, the former president, he knows that. I ask him direct questions; he will always answer me directly also. But I really never had a problem with him. Even President Obasanjo in those days, then Gen. Obasanjo (rtd). The truth is that I was in the middle of it all. No matter what, all these forces- my dad, Shehu Yar’adua, Obasanjo, IBB and everybody playing, I was a connection. So, no matter what, I kept the connection going. They will listen to me and at least they give me that because I think I’ve earned enough of their respect from that perspective. I was that connection.
“Even when my father was incarcerated, the two generals were in jail, I still went and I met with them, I still went and assured them, I still kept that connection going, believing that the solution will be one of those three people and exactly what happened, two left and one inherited the game.”
The June 12,1993 presidential election, adjudged as the best election in the history of Nigeria was wondering by Abiola, but later annuled by Babangida.
