June 12: Falana faults Babangida’s claims on annulment

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has faulted some of the claims made by former Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida in his new book.

General Ibrahim Babangida, a former head of state, recently launched a book, ‘Journey in Service,’ which has generated a lot of debates among the general public.

IBB in his book said that some forces made the annulment of the June 12 presidential election happen.

Falana, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Tuesday, faulted the assertion made in the book.

He recalled that IBB personally signed the decree for the annulment of the election and made a nationwide broadcast justifying his action.

“On the 26th of June, he made a broadcast, a nationwide broadcast justifying the annulment, alleging that the election was riddled with corruption, corrupt practices.

“Also on the 22nd of June, he set aside the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal headed by the late Justice Bola Babalake set up by CJN Mohammed Bello.

“So, how can you turn around to give the impression that some forces without his knowledge annulled the election?

“He once said, in the face of the crisis, ‘I’m not only in office, I’m in power’. And he exercised the power against the interest of Nigerians.

“He also said he annulled the election for national interest, he never mentioned Abacha. In any case, perhaps the annulment we’re talking about was perhaps the last stage of the manipulation.”