“Your Account of My Father’s Involvement is Untrue” — Ose Anenih Rebuts Onanuga’s June 12 Claims

Ose Anenih, son of the late Chief Tony Anenih, has publicly rejected claims made by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, concerning his father’s alleged role in the political fallout surrounding the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.

In response to Onanuga’s statement accusing Chief Tony Anenih and former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido of failing to defend the mandate of MKO Abiola, Ose Anenih described the claims as historically inaccurate and misleading. Sharing his rebuttal on his official X handle, he stated plainly: “Your account of my father’s involvement in June 12 is, to put it politely, untrue.”

The controversy stems from remarks made by Lamido in a recent Arise TV interview, where he alleged that President Tinubu and his late mother supported the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida during the June 12 crisis. Onanuga fired back by accusing Lamido and Anenih of betraying the SDP and aligning with the opposition to undermine Abiola’s mandate.

Ose Anenih criticised Onanuga’s language as “uncouth” and said it was inappropriate for an official representative of the presidency. He went on to clarify that his father had, in fact, warned Abiola about his close ties with General Sani Abacha, which he believed would derail efforts to reclaim the annulled mandate.

He recounted a personal meeting between Abiola and his father in Benin City following Abiola’s return from exile, in which Chief Anenih directly confronted Abiola for abandoning the party and its supporters. He also noted that his father acknowledged Tinubu’s initial support for the June 12 cause but questioned what he described as Tinubu’s early visit to Abacha following the military takeover.

Ose concluded by expressing regret that he had to defend his father’s name against what he called “a lie issued in the name of the President,” and offered to send Onanuga a copy of Chief Anenih’s memoir, My Life and Nigerian Politics, to provide a factual account of events.