Abuja, Nigeria – Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has made a historic declaration that the key actors behind the annulment of Nigeria's freest and fairest election – the June 12, 1993 presidential poll – now live with deep regret over their actions. The bombshell revelation came during Yakubu's keynote address at the 30th anniversary symposium of Nigeria's democratic transition held at the International Conference Center in Abuja.
The June 12 Legacy Revisited
Yakubu's emotional address traced Nigeria's democratic journey from the dark days of military rule to the present Fourth Republic, with June 12 serving as the inflection point.
"The annulment of Chief MKO Abiola's clear mandate wasn't just a political miscalculation – it was a generational crime against democracy," Yakubu stated to a hushed audience that included surviving June 12 activists, diplomats, and civil society leaders.
The INEC boss revealed startling details from his private conversations with "key architects" of the annulment (whom he didn't name), saying: "They've confessed to me in sober moments that if they could turn back time, June 12 would never have been sacrificed on the altar of dictatorship."
The Regrets of History
According to Yakubu, the annulment plotters now grapple with three profound realizations:
1. Historical Infamy: Their names are eternally tied to Nigeria's most consequential democratic betrayal
2. Missed Opportunities: Nigeria lost 30 years of potential development under uninterrupted democracy
3. Personal Consequences: Many became pariahs even within military circles
"One told me, 'We thought we were saving Nigeria, but we doomed it to decades of instability,'" Yakubu disclosed, prompting murmurs across the auditorium.
Contemporary Electoral Lessons
Drawing parallels to current challenges, Yakubu warned against repeating June 12-era mistakes:
- On Election Manipulation: "When you subvert the people's will, history never forgets"
- On Judicial Interventions: "Courts must never become tools for rewriting election outcomes"
- On Leadership: "True patriots accept electoral defeat for national stability"
The symposium observed a minute's silence for Abiola, his wife Kudirat, and other democracy martyrs.
Reactions and Reflections
Prominent June 12 activist Comrade Shehu Sani told The Guardian: "Yakubu's revelation confirms what we've always known – the annulment was Nigeria's original sin."
Political historian Professor Nnenna Oti added: "This should serve as warning to today's anti-democratic forces."
As Nigeria prepares for 2027 elections, Yakubu's disclosures resurrect sobering questions about democratic consolidation – with June 12's ghosts still haunting the polity three decades later.