Using the dictionary and official statements about the June 12 annulled election, the Nigeria Tribune boldly challenges Mr. Ibrahim Babangida's double-speak, saying whatever language he uses - cancel or annul - he did the same thing. Call it what you want, you are saying the same thing, the Tribune explains.
According to Nigeria's oldest published newspaper, founded by Nigeria's most respected politician, Obafemi Awolowo, in 1949, after the controversial annulment of June 12, 1993 presidential elections, former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, may have resolved to once again, take Nigerians into language laboratory.
Babangida, the man at the centre of the historic political logjam that almost plunged the country into another civil war, told his audience on a BBC Hausa service programme in Kaduna that he did not annul the election, but cancelled it.
On June 24, 1993 the national dailies reported the annulment of the election through an unsigned statement distributed at the Villa by the then Chief Press Secretary to Vice President Augustus Aikhomu, Mr. Nduka Irabor.
The statement, in part, read:
The Federal Military Government declared that:
•All court proceedings pending or to be instituted in respect of the June 12 presidential election be stopped.
•The Transition to Civil Rule Decree No. 52 of 1992 and the Presidential Election Decree No. 13 of 1993 repealed; and
•The National Electoral Commission (NEC) suspended and all its acts of commisison or omission nullified.
It also declared that a decree backing the above decision had been signed into law.
The Federal Military Government declared that:
•All court proceedings pending or to be instituted in respect of the June 12 presidential election be stopped.
•The Transition to Civil Rule Decree No. 52 of 1992 and the Presidential Election Decree No. 13 of 1993 repealed; and
•The National Electoral Commission (NEC) suspended and all its acts of commisison or omission nullified.
It also declared that a decree backing the above decision had been signed into law.
On June 24, 1993, some of the dailies carried the story under headlines such as “Govt. annuls transition decree, suspends NEC”, “Presidential election nullified”, “Why June 12 presidential election was cancelled, by Babangida”.
However, General Babangida, apparently caught in his own web, as a way out, told his listeners during the week that he did not annul the election but cancelled it.
The Chambers Dictionary in its meaning of the words “annul” and “cancel” says “cancel”: To cross out, to annul or suppress, to abolish or wipe out, while it describes “annul” as: To make null, to reduce to nothing, to abolish.
Therefore, the two words can be said to be interchangeable and that was what the media did then, using either annul or cancel as the case may be.
Even Babangida’s vice, Admiral Augustus Aikhomu while explaining government position on the election’s annulment said “In annulling the presidential election it required the courage and commitment of this administration to act the way it did”.
Babagida told the BBC "It may interest you that my son went to the EFCC out of his own volition and he answered all the questions put to him to the best of his knowledge."
According to IBB," people are entitled to their own opinion. “I live in a country where you will get about a million opinions on any matter. But my own understanding of the relationship between me and the president is that it has been very cordial. Don't forget that we were in the Army together and he was my senior. Up till now, I have respect for him," he added.
He, however, refuted the allegation that he annulled the June 12, 1993 presidential election, but rather, said that he cancelled it. The former president admitted that the June 12 presidential election was the freest, fairest and the best election ever held in the political history of the country, but argued that he was constrained to cancel the election as a result of the prevailing circumstances then. "Elections were held and those of you in the media adjudged them as the freest, fairest and most peaceful elections in the chequered political history of the nation.
"But it was not annulled, it was rather cancelled. We gave the reasons. We told Nigerians that we cancelled the election because of the prevailing circumstances then,"he added.
He explained further that the cancellation of the June 12 presidential election would not stop him from aspiring to lead the nation again.
"My government performed meritoriously in the development of Nigeria and I possess the leadership qualities to rule the nation again.
"Insha Allahu, I have said so before, I have a presidential ambition and I will definitely contest on the platform of my party."
