Former military ruler Gen Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, now a candidate in next year's elections, has said he is proud of his time in office, actually boasting that the annulled June 12 election was one of his proud achievements.
Babangida told the BBC organising the 1993 election was a "credit".
The results were cancelled as Moshood Abiola was about to win. He later died in prison after declaring himself president.
Gen Babangida said the election had been hailed as "one of the best and freest elections that has ever been conducted in the country". But he refused to explain why they had been cancelled, saying reasons had been given at the time.
AgainstBabangida.com has just revealed why he could not tell Nigerians the reason for the annulment. His plan was to convert Nigeria to an Islamic nation with the deposed Sultan of Sokoto Ibrahim Dasuki as the spiritual leader in a Sudan-style dictatorship.
Gen Babangida said the election had been hailed as "one of the best and freest elections that has ever been conducted in the country". But he refused to explain why they had been cancelled, saying reasons had been given at the time.
AgainstBabangida.com has just revealed why he could not tell Nigerians the reason for the annulment. His plan was to convert Nigeria to an Islamic nation with the deposed Sultan of Sokoto Ibrahim Dasuki as the spiritual leader in a Sudan-style dictatorship.
"In eight years, we made a lot of progress and development of this country and people also benefited," the former military ruler told the BBC's Network Africa programme.
Gen Babangida, known as IBB, is extremely wealthy and is seen as one of the kingmakers in Nigerian politics.
But the BBC Nigeria correspondent says his military regime was accused of massive corruption and annulled democratic elections in 1993.
The former leader told the BBC he had brought development to the country.
Gen Babangida is seeking to be the candidate of the ruling People's Democratic Party.
However, the PDP is deeply split between supporters of the incumbent Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
They fell out after the vice-president backed the successful campaign to stop President Obasanjo seeking a third term in office.
He accuses Mr Obasanjo of trying to block him from running in elections in April next year.
Some analysts say a lot depends on whether Mr Obasanjo will choose to back Gen Babangida or try to stop him.
Meanwhile, one of IBB's loyalists has attacked groups canvassing anti-Babangida ideas. Mr. Liad Tella, one-time Deputy Editor of National Concord, owned by Abiola, said Babangida should be allowed to contest the election in 2007.
Tella took a swipe at the human right groups that were campaigning against the aspiration of the former military President, accusing them of double standard.
“On one hand, they would be preaching absolute democracy and on the other hand, they would be preaching politics of exclusion,” Tella stated, while calling for “a level playing field for everybody.”
"What is constitutionally wrong in his ambition to contest for the office of Mr President in Nigeria?" asks Mr. Tella, who is now a politician. " When he was a military president, Babangida built bridges. I am not saying he didn’t make mistakes. He made his mistakes too. He made two mistakes."
Then Tella came back to say the June 12 election was definitely not an achievement.
"One, the annulment of June 12, 1993 election was a mistake. It was a terrible mistake! He was pushed to the wall. He has said he would speak on it. I am waiting for that." Tella and other Nigerians have waited for 13 years for IBB to reveal his reasons, which Againstbabangida.com has now provided.
