MURIC applauds Falana’s legal move against IBB
…Backs posthumous declaration of MKO Abiola as President
By Jeleel Olawale
An Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has commended human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), for mobilising a team of lawyers in preparation for legal action against former military head of state, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) (rtd.), over the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
The group also expressed its full support for calls to declare Chief MKO Abiola posthumously as Nigeria’s president.
This was contained in a statement issued on Thursday, 27th February 2025, by the Executive Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
In the statement, MURIC recalled that IBB recently admitted that Chief MKO Abiola won the June 12, 1993 presidential election and even published its detailed results, despite the announcement being halted by a midnight court injunction secured by Arthur Nzeribe of the Association for Better Nigeria (ABN).
The organisation described the annulment of the election as a coup against the general will of the Nigerian people and a grievous act of injustice.
“The result existed. It was not unknown. It was not scattered in polling stations. It had been centrally collated nationwide, and the figures were already known. The annulment at that stage was not just an injustice—it was criminal abortion, not of a foetus, but of a fully developed homo sapiens. It was blue murder,” the statement read.
MURIC further argued that justice has no timeline, insisting that even after 32 years, injustice remains injustice.
“Our villains may sleep with confidence on their beds of gold, but the poor masses lie awake all night, pouring out silent curses. Interestingly, too, the eyes of Almighty Allah do not close for one moment. They are forever open,” the organisation stated.
The group praised Femi Falana for his commitment to justice, stating that his decision to take legal action against IBB was a welcome and necessary step in ensuring accountability for past injustices.
“Femi Falana deserves commendation for showing interest in taking IBB to court over the annulment. Of course, this is only natural, as Falana was among the frontline activists of the June 12 struggle in the 1990s.
“We call on all progressive lawyers to rally around him in this noble task. We also urge human rights activists and all Nigerians to support this legal move to ensure that justice is finally served,” MURIC said.
The organisation also reiterated its support for the formal recognition of MKO Abiola as a past president of Nigeria, stating that former President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to confer the GCFR honour on Abiola was a significant step, but that more needed to be done.
“A formal declaration of the June 12 election results as disclosed by IBB is all that is needed now to authenticate Abiola’s rightful status in Nigeria’s political history.
“This will also enable his children to enjoy all the privileges and entitlements of an ex-president. If the children of military heads of state who seized power through the barrel of a gun enjoy certain rights, then those of a democratically elected president deserve even more,” the group stated.
MURIC emphasised that recognising Abiola posthumously as a former president would serve as a correction of history and ensure that the injustice of June 12 is never forgotten.
