The Federal government has officially recognized the vice presidential candidate to MKO Abiola, Babagana Kingibe as Vice President.
Newsonline reports that Babagana Kingibe was the vice-presidential candidate in the annulled 1993 general election, that produced MKO Abiola as president.
The development is coming 30 years after the 1993 election was annulled by General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, then Nigeria’s head of state, and three years after President Buhari’s administration recognized Abiola as president.
Newsonline reports that Kingibe was introduced as former Vice President when he was requested to join a group photograph at the Eagles Square on Monday, during the celebration of this year’s Democracy Day.
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President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration changed Nigeria Democracy Day usually celebrated on May 29, to June 12.
President Buhari’s government in 2019 said the decision was to recognize the true winners of the June 12, 1993, general election which was adjudged Nigeria’s freest and fairest election.
The June 12, 1993 election had Muslim-Muslim tickets of MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, as winners.
However, the then Military Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida annulled the election without official reason.
Until today, the Federal government has not recognized Kingibe as official Vice president of the country.
With the official recognition, Babagana Kingibe is now recorded in Nigeria history as one of the Vice Presidents of Nigeria.
