Presidency Debunks Lamido’s Claims, Affirms Tinubu’s Pro-June 12 Legacy

The Presidency has strongly dismissed allegations made by former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu supported the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.

In a detailed statement issued on Sunday, June 25, 2025, by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency described Lamido’s claims as false, misleading, and a distortion of historical facts.

Lamido, during a live television appearance, had accused Tinubu of only gaining relevance after the formation of NADECO and claimed that his mother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, mobilised support for the annulment. The Presidency refuted both claims, clarifying that Alhaja Mogaji never supported the annulment and would have lost her leadership role among Lagos market women if she had done so.

“It is important to remind Nigerians that Alhaji Lamido, as secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP)—the party whose candidate, MKO Abiola, won the June 12 election—was among those who failed to oppose the military’s injustice,” the statement read. “In contrast, Senator Bola Tinubu openly condemned the annulment on the Senate floor, describing it as a coup d’état and urging Nigerians to reject injustice.”

The statement cited Tinubu’s firm stance in the Senate as early as August 1993, and detailed his subsequent involvement in the pro-democracy struggle, including his arrest, funding of protests, and eventual exile following Abacha’s crackdown on June 12 activists.

Onanuga also confirmed Tinubu’s active roles in both NADECO and NALICON, noting that he provided financial and strategic support to the resistance movement, journalists, and exiled activists during the dark military era.

While acknowledging Lamido’s admission of Tinubu’s NADECO involvement, the Presidency accused the former governor of engaging in historical revisionism and attempting to undermine Tinubu’s long-standing democratic credentials.

“The facts remain clear: President Tinubu was—and remains—a steadfast advocate for democracy, in contrast to Lamido and others who capitulated in the face of military oppression,” the statement concluded.