Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has shed more light on the intrigues that attended the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, believed to have been won by Chief MKO Abiola.
Obasanjo, who delivered a lecture in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, while delivering a lecture at the 100-year Celebration of his alma mater, Baptist Boys High School (BBHS), titled “Eyin Ni Iwe Wa: You Are Our Epistle,” said Abiola was prevented from becoming President due to what Obasanjo characterized as “bad belle”.
The expression “Bad Belle” is from pidgin English, commonly used in Nigerian English, and in the metaphorical sense stands for envy or jealousy. Obasanjo did not further specify or identify the individuals or persons who worked to deprive Abiola of his mandate in that annulled elections, due to “envy” or “jealousy” from such persons.
Abiola won the 1993 presidential election but the then-military dictator, Ibrahim Babangida, annulled the election before he was formally declared the winner.
In 1994, he was arrested and detained in solitary confinement on charges of treason after declaring himself President based on the outcome of the election. Abiola spent many years in detention before he died in same on July 7, 1998.
Speaking further on his days as a student at BBHS Abeokuta, Olusegun Obasanjo revealed that he became who he is today due to the moral virtues and sound education impacted on him by the teachers and other role models at the school.
Apart from him, Obasanjo stated that the school shaped others such as the late sage, Obafemi Awolowo; the winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election, MKO Abiola; and a former Judge of the International Court of Justice, Bola Ajibola, among others.
The centenary celebration was organised by the Old Boys Association of the BBHS.
Apart from education, the 100-year-old school, according to Obasanjo, has instilled godly virtues in all of its products at various times.
“What all these great products of BBHS have in common is godly virtue inculcated in them by the school. That was education plus.
“We carry it everywhere we go as an epistle written by BBHS to our families, our communities, our states, our country, our continent of Africa, and indeed our world.
“In conclusion, the class of 1979–84 had beautifully constructed the gate and road into the school. They also granted me the pleasure of making a financial contribution to that laudable effort. They had offered to name the road after me, for which I thanked them, but I had craved their indulgence, to which they have agreed to name the road after E. L. Akisanya, and the road becomes E. L. Akisanya Road and the gate E. L. Akisanya Gate.”