Former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of supporting the annulment of the historic June 12, 1993 presidential election and claimed Tinubu was not part of the early struggle for democracy.
Lamido, who was also the former National Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), made the statement during an interview on Arise Television on Saturday.
“With all respect to him, he was part of those who supported Babangida’s annulment of June 12,” Lamido said, referring to the former military ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida, who cancelled what is widely considered Nigeria’s freest and fairest election.
He continued, “Tinubu was a major supporter of Babangida. His own mother, Hajiya Mogaji, organised the Lagos market women to go to Abuja and show support for Babangida.”
Lamido said he spoke from experience because he was involved in the events surrounding the June 12 election.
“Luckily, we were all alive. We were all there and participants in that political history. I was in the middle of it,” he said.
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He claimed that Tinubu only became active in the democratic movement after General Sani Abacha seized power following Babangida’s exit.
“It was when Abacha took over the government that Tinubu became the so-called activist of June 12,” Lamido said.
Lamido also dismissed President Tinubu’s current speeches about his role in Nigeria’s return to democracy.
“I feel highly entertained by Tinubu’s rhetoric. The way he is dramatising his own role in Nigerian democracy is very amusing. Tinubu, after becoming Nigerian president, decided to rewrite and deconstruct history,” Lamido said.
Lamido also criticised NADECO (the National Democratic Coalition), the pro-democracy group Tinubu later joined in exile.
“All those NADECO activists, where were they on June 11? They were not part of the June 12 campaign and activities,” he claimed.
According to Lamido, while he and other Nigerians stayed in the country to resist the military, Tinubu fled. “Tinubu ran away from the country,” he said.
Lamido ended the interview by saying he is ready to join other politicians to remove President Tinubu in the 2027 general election.