Hafsat Abiola-Costello, daughter of the late MKO Abiola and Kudirat Abiola, has reacted to revelation by former military leader, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (Rtd.) that Abiola won the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Babangida spoke in Abuja on Thursday during the launch of his memoir, “A Journey In Service.”
Reacting to the statement on Friday, Abiola- Costello said IBB’s admission that MKO won the election had laid the matter to rest.
“For those that kept expressing doubt that Nigerians had spoken so decisively on that day, I’m glad that General IBB’s admission that MKO won the election can now lay the matter to rest,” she said.
She noted that whenever the date is mentioned, her thoughts go to her parents, MKO and Kudirat Abiola.
The daughter noted that the importance of June 12 goes beyond them, as it represents the collective hope of Nigerians for a better and more united country.
The statement reads, “When anyone mentions June 12, my mind always goes to MKO and Kudi. But June 12’s staying power was because the vote that Nigerians expressed that day was a vote for a better future and for unity. MKO may have been the symbol of the Hope ‘93 campaign but June 12 was about more than one man, it was about the promise of Nigeria that would deliver for Nigerians.
“For those that kept expressing doubt that Nigerians had spoken so decisively on that day, I’m glad that General IBB’s admission that MKO won the election can now lay the matter to rest.
“It’s sad that such a galvanising statement as the breakthrough vote for MKO should have been truncated by an unjust annulment. But I will be forever grateful to both MKO and Kudi for not allowing their fears for their personal safety stand in the way of the people’s desire for a better Nigeria. May such commitment endure.”
