Ose Anenih, son of the late Chief Tony Anenih, has refuted allegations made by Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, concerning his father’s involvement in the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
The dispute emerged after former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, alleged that President Tinubu supported the annulment of the historic vote.
Speaking during an interview with Arise TV, Lamido claimed that Tinubu’s late mother, Hajiya Mogaji, led market women from Lagos to Abuja to express support for then military ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida.
Lamido said, “I feel highly entertained by Tinubu’s rhetoric, the way he’s dramatising his role in Nigeria’s democracy.”
He added, “Tinubu became relevant and noticeable after Abacha took over the government; before then, he was in the senate while he was the secretary of the party.”
“He was part of those who supported IBB’s annulment of the June 12 election. His own mother Hajia Mogaji was organising Lagos market women to come to Abuja to pledge support for Babangida.”
In response, Bayo Onanuga accused both Lamido and the late Chief Tony Anenih of complicity in denying MKO Abiola his presidential mandate.
Onanuga described Lamido’s remarks as “a distortion of history and a regrettable attempt at revisionism.”
He argued that Lamido and Anenih, as leaders within the Social Democratic Party (SDP), failed to stand firm against the military following the annulment.
He stated, “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 SDP leadership, including Lamido and chairman Tony Anenih, wrote their names in the book of infamy by surrendering the people’s mandate without resistance.”
“To their eternal shame, Lamido and Anenih teamed up with the defeated National Republican Convention to deny Abiola his mandate.”
Reacting via a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, Ose Anenih firmly rejected Onanuga’s version of events, calling it “untrue” and criticizing both the tone and source of the claims.
He wrote, “Your account of my father’s involvement in June 12 is, to put it politely, untrue. It is disappointing that you chose to use uncouth language to describe Chief Tony Anenih, and in an official communication from ‘the Presidency,’ no less.”
“I will rise above the emotional baiting that this conversation has clearly sparked and will speak only to the truth. I will also assume that your mischaracterisation of historical events stems from ignorance, not malice,” he added.
Ose went on to recount his father’s version of events following the annulment, stating that Chief Anenih had warned MKO Abiola that his relationship with General Sani Abacha could undermine his political ambitions.
“Chief Abiola initially fled the country after the annulment of the June 12 presidential elections by Gen. Babangida. You mentioned that MKO eventually returned.”
“When he did, one of his first visits was to my father, then National Chairman of the SDP, in Benin City. True to form, my father confronted Abiola. He accused him, to his face, of abandoning the party and its supporters in the immediate aftermath of the annulment while they risked life and limb defending his mandate.”
He also noted that his father had acknowledged Tinubu’s early stance against the delay in announcing the June 12 results.
“Now, I am not aware of any animosity that ever existed between my father and President Tinubu. In fact, my father acknowledged that Tinubu had initially spoken out against the delay in announcing the results of the June 12 election. It was the only time he mentioned Tinubu in his 260-page book.”
Ose Anenih further questioned Tinubu’s actions in the wake of the military coup that ushered in the Abacha regime, suggesting his alignment at the time was questionable.
“I have no personal knowledge of what role your principal played after that, though I find it curious that you consider his early visit to Abacha, immediately after a coup to remove the ING he (MKO) helped birth, a mark of honour.”
He concluded by noting that many of the central figures from that historical moment are still alive and capable of providing clarity.
“Like Lamido said, many of the key players in that chapter of our history like IBB, Abdulsalami, Oyegun, Ikimi, Mark, Ayu, Dele Momodu, and others, including Kola, MKO’s son – are still alive. We are also fortunate that my father wrote his own version of events before he passed.”
“It is however unfortunate that I have had to defend my father’s name against a lie, and doubly unfortunate that that lie was issued in the name of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I had hoped that this level of toxicity left with the former occupant of your office.”
“I am happy to send you a copy of my father’s memoir, My Life and Nigerian Politics, to help you avoid this sort of ahistorical misadventure in future.”
