A former officer of the Guards Brigade has accused former military Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, of attempting to distance himself from some of the most controversial decisions taken during his administration.
The former officer, who spoke with Sahara Reporters, cited the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election and the execution of Maj. Gen. Mamman Vatsa as key examples.
According to him, Babangida, as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief, should accept responsibility for decisions made by his government, regardless of whether other senior military officers were involved.
The former lieutenant said his distrust of Babangida intensified after the annulment of the June 12 election, which was widely believed to have been won by the late businessman and politician, Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola.
He recalled an encounter during a Ramadan Iftar at the Presidential Villa in March or April 1993, which he said made him suspicious that Babangida knew Abiola might not eventually be allowed to assume office.
The officer claimed that while watching a 7pm NTA news report on Abiola’s campaign in a northern state, Babangida made a remark in Hausa: “Za mu ga wanda zai bar shi ya yi ayyukan nan,” which he translated as, “Let’s see who will allow him to do such things.”
He said the comment suggested to him that powerful interests were determined to prevent Abiola from implementing his campaign promises.
However, the former officer acknowledged that the remark alone could not conclusively establish that Babangida had prior knowledge that the election would be annulled.
“I was not surprised when the election was annulled in June 1993,” he said, while maintaining that Babangida’s statement during the Iftar appeared to suggest that something was wrong.
In his 2025 autobiography, A Journey in Service, Babangida acknowledged that Abiola won the June 12 election, securing 8,128,720 votes against Bashir Tofa’s 5,848,247 and meeting the required geographical spread.
The former military ruler, however, attributed the crisis surrounding the election to several factors, including opposition allegedly led by his then Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Sani Abacha, security concerns, legal disputes and resistance within the military to Nigeria’s return to civilian rule.
Babangida also said there were fears that Abiola could be assassinated by powerful military interests, potentially triggering another civil war.
At the public presentation of his autobiography in Abuja, however, Babangida accepted overall responsibility for events under his administration and described the annulment as a regrettable accident of history.
The former Guards Brigade officer nevertheless rejected attempts to place primary responsibility on Abacha and other senior officers.
He argued that as the head of government, Babangida should ultimately accept responsibility for decisions taken under his authority.
The officer also challenged Babangida’s explanation regarding the execution of Maj. Gen. Mamman Vatsa and other military officers convicted of plotting a coup.
Vatsa, a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and Babangida’s childhood friend, was executed in March 1986 alongside other officers after being convicted by a special military tribunal.
Babangida had previously said he was “shocked, devastated and deeply disappointed” by the development but maintained that his “hands were tied” by military law.
The former Guards Brigade officer disputed that position, arguing that Babangida, as President and Commander-in-Chief, had powers relating to the confirmation, commutation or rejection of sentences handed down by military tribunals.
He also cited comments attributed to the late former Defence Minister, Gen. Domkat Bali, regarding the relationship between Babangida and Vatsa.
According to the officer, Bali described the relationship between the two men as being characterised by rivalry and said he could not understand the hostility between them.
The former officer said he interpreted Bali’s comments as an indication that Babangida was responsible for the decision to execute Vatsa and the other convicted officers.
He further alleged that Babangida did not publicly challenge Bali’s account while the former Defence Minister was alive.
The officer said the June 12 annulment and Vatsa’s execution significantly shaped his assessment of Babangida’s leadership.
He accused the former military ruler of failing to take ownership of decisions made during his administration and repeatedly shifting responsibility to other senior officers.
He maintained that leadership requires a commander to accept responsibility for decisions taken under his authority, particularly when those decisions produce controversial or negative consequences.
“Even if a decision was taken collectively, he, as the head, should take responsibility, especially if it didn’t go right,” the former officer said.
He concluded by describing Babangida as a leader who, in his view, failed to demonstrate the accountability expected of an officer and commander.