Leadnaija
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has criticised the June 12 account presented by a former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, regarding President Bola Tinubu.
Lamido had stated in an Arise TV interview that Tinubu supported the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which was won by the late MKO Abiola.
He also stated that Tinubu only began to champion the fight against the annulment when the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, took power.
Reacting, Alake said the former governor’s account is “an attempt at revisionism and an attempt to cover his own malicious role in trading off that critical sacred mandate given to MKO.”
He then revealed the role played by Tinubu in the struggle to retrieve the people’s mandate.
Alake said, “Immediately after the announcement, don’t forget that the first thing that shocked the whole nation was the suspension of the results announcement on June 16. The election was June 12, and results started dropping in, and everybody knew MKO was coasting home to victory.”
He stated that on June 16, while he was with MKO, they became aware of an unsigned statement from the Villa regarding the discontinuation of the results announcement.
“That was the first initial salvo against June 12, and on June 23rd, the final nail on the curfew was put in by the entire cancellation of the election, and of course, we plunged into the struggle. Immediately after the annulment was announced, Tinubu threw his hat into the ring.
“It was Tinubu MKO called to start the preparation for the onslaught against that unjustifiable announcement. Tinubu was from the get-go deeply involved in the struggle to actualise this mandate and he went on it. Where was Sule Lamido during the initial wave of protests during the annulment? I can tell you authoritatively because I was part and parcel of the protest, the planning and execution.
“Tinubu was one of the funders and one of the organisers, one of the planners of all the protests of July 23, 24 and 25 of 1993 against the annulment. This was way before Abacha. Abacha did not come until November 17, 1993, and how Abacha also came was not behind us,” he said.
The minister referred to a viral photograph showing Tinubu and MKO with Abacha on the day the late former Head of State took over power.
“Asiwaju was the one who escorted MKO to see Abacha on how he would relinquish power and hand over to MKO. How Tinubu came to accompany MKO was something that had been crafted a night before, and I was there; I’m a living witness,” he said.
