Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Sunday attributed annulment of June 12, 1993 presidential election presumably won by late philanthropist, Moshood Kashimawo Abiola by former Military President General Ibrahim Babangida on account of hatred for the winner of the election.
He said the annulment denied Egbaland and Ogun State the privilege of having three of its prominent sons occupying the number one seat at different times.
He disclosed this on Sunday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State after his investiture as a trustee of the Abeokuta Club, a sociocultural organisation of Egba people of Ogun State.
Obasanjo was honoured alongside MKO Abiola who was awarded a posthumous vice-patron of the club.
He recalled Abiola was his schoolmate at the Baptist Boys High School (BBHS) Abeokuta, adding that the late philanthropist deserved the award given to him by the Abeokuta club.
He added: “When Abeokuta Club was in the process of being birthed, things in Abeokuta were not as rosy as they are today. And the sons of Abeokuta who were in Lagos put their heads together in late Chief Sobo Sowemimo’s house to think of what they could do to improve the development of Abeokuta as a city. I pay tributes to all those founding members, those who have departed this world and those who are still here.
“I want to thank the club for this honour being bestowed on me and the honour being bestowed on my school mate MKO Abiola which he richly deserved.
“Kabiyesi, the Alake (of Egbaland) alluded to it. Normally when you win a cup three times, you keep that cup. Isn’t it? If not for bad belle, Abeokuta would have produced President of Nigeria three times, in which case we should have kept it permanently.
“But be that as it may, we have a great heritage. And we should be proud of our heritage. On this note, I will say on this occasion, I thank the President, the patron and grand patron, members of Board of Trustees, the executive; I want to say this, I will continue to contribute my quota to the development and growth of this club and by extension, the development and growth of Abeokuta, of Ogun State, of Nigeria, of African and indeed the of world in whichever way I could.”
Obasanjo pledged his continuous commitment to the development to the club, Ogun state, Nigeria and the world.
