Former Jigawa State governor and prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Sule Lamido, has made a startling claim that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was among those who supported the annulment of the historic June 12, 1993 presidential election.

Speaking in an interview on Arise TV on Saturday, Lamido challenged the widely held perception of Tinubu as a champion of Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle and questioned the authenticity of his June 12 credentials.

 “Tinubu became relevant and noticeable after [General Sani] Abacha took over the government. Before then, he was just in the Senate and served as secretary of his party,” Lamido stated.

He further alleged that Tinubu’s mother, Hajia Abibatu Mogaji, a respected leader of Lagos market women, actively mobilized support for the annulment, supposedly organizing delegations to Abuja to back then military ruler Ibrahim Babangida.

 “His own mother, Hajia Mogaji, was organizing Lagos market women to come to Abuja to pledge support for Babangida,” Lamido claimed.

On the role of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), the pro-democracy platform that included many of Tinubu’s allies, Lamido dismissed the idea that it was founded to uphold MKO Abiola’s annulled mandate.

 “NADECO was a postulation formation to fight Abacha, not for June 12,” he said.

The June 12 election, won by Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, remains a watershed in Nigerian history, widely regarded as the country’s freest and fairest poll. Its annulment by the Babangida-led military government triggered massive civil unrest and birthed years of democratic agitation.

Lamido’s assertions cast a different light on President Tinubu’s longstanding image as a democracy icon, especially given his central role in the annual June 12 commemorations, now officially recognized as Democracy Day.

The comments are expected to spark intense political debate, particularly among Tinubu’s supporters and critics of the current administration.