A former presidential candidate of the defunct Alliance for New Nigeria, Fela Durotoye, has said that the annulment of June 12, 1993, presidential election by former Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, had a “devastating impact on our trajectory as a nation”.
After the contentious annulment of the election, which many people saw as one of the most free and fair elections in Nigeria’s history, the leadership coach came to the conclusion that Nigerians’ votes no longer count.
Durotoye appeared on Channels Television’s Sunday edition of the socio-political program Inside Sources with Laolu Akande.
The former presidential candidate claimed that the election’s cancellation on June 12 over three decades ago harmed Nigerians’ ability to vote and sparked apoplectic apathy in the populace.
He said, “The past does not shape the future, it only shapes the present. Because we enjoy reliving the events that occurred, it is now important. With the launch of the IBB book and the fact that it had a sobering effect on our nation’s future, I almost wouldn’t have wanted to comment.
One of the most devastating things that we didn’t realize was that the people had come to the conclusion that “our votes don’t count.” From that moment was when you start hearing: ‘ Our votes don’t count’. Votes not counting were the result of that annulment, which was what made people think.
“The danger of ‘ my votes don’t count ‘ is that the majority have become the minority. Look at the number of registered voters and the number of votes that have been cast.
Durotoye said there are four kinds of votes – mobilised votes, monetised votes, manufactured votes, and manipulated votes. In the 2023 general election, he claimed that not half of the total registered voters in all the voting categories.
“Even with all of that, go look at the number of registered voters and the number of votes cast, and you’ll realize that the rulers have used the idea of “my votes don’t count” to suppress us.
” For instance, in the last election, there were 93 million registered voters but only about 23 million votes were counted including manufactured and manipulated votes. 70 million people did not vote. That is the majority, “he said.
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On Thursday, February 20, 2025, 32 years after he annulled the June 12, 1993 election, Babangida admitted for the first time that the late philanthropist and democracy hero Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola won the election.
The startling revelation was contained in Babangida’s 420-page memoir titled, ‘ A Journey in Service: An Autobiography of Ibrahim Babangida ‘ which was launched in Abuja with continental and national dignitaries in attendance.
In his book, Abiola and Maradona, as Maradona was known, answered the question about whether the “evil genius” and “as Babangida” won the June 12 election.
There is no doubt that MKO Abiola won the June 12 elections, as Baangida admitted in his book, despite the fact that I am on record to have stated after the election that I may not have won the election upon further reflection and a thorough examination of all available facts, particularly the detailed election results that are published as an appendix to this book.
After examining the original polling booth data from 110 polling stations across the country, it became clear that he had received 8, 128, 720 votes, compared to Tofa’s 5, 848, 247, and secured the required of one-third of the votes cast in 28 states of the Federation, including Abuja, and that he had met the two main requirements for winning the presidential election, namely majority votes and geographical spread.
He added that the poll’s cancellation was in “extreme national interest” and that he was not interested in the outcome.
Source: Channels TV
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