BY CHRIS OCHAYI

ABUJA-Eighteen years after the annulment of June 12, 1993, presidential elections, a key player during the dispensation, Senator David Mark, has exonerated himself from being part of the conspiracy to the annulment of the election.

Senator Mark disclosed that rather, his military carrier was scuttled by the regime of then Head of State, late General Sani Abacha, who retired him from the Nigerian Army, following his support and resolve to enthrone democracy in Nigeria.

Mark, now serving his second tenure as Senate President, contrary to some views being expressed about him over  the annulment of the June 12 presidential election, won by late business mogul, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, said he was retired from the military because he insisted that democracy must be restored in the country.

He blamed Chief Abiola’s close friends and associates for working against his resolve to reclaim his mandate, saying “surprisingly, Abiola’s close associates  were urging Abacha to take over. They dined with Abiola in the afternoon but, in the night, urged Abacha to sieze power and forget June 12. I never believed that human beings could be so treacherous, unprincipled and shameless.”

The retired Brigadier General denied recurring allegations that he was instrumental to the events that led to the controversial annulment of the election rated most free, fair and credible in the history of the country, describing the allegation that himself and some other senior officers held former President Ibrahim Babangida hostage and forced him to annul the election as wild, untrue and must be discarded.

According to him, “although, I was a brigadier- general, I was not part of the administration at that time. I was not a member of the National Defence Security Council, NDSC, or the executive council. I had been assigned as Director of Strategic Studies at the National War College and, in fact, was lecturing on the role of military in a democratic society.”

Senator Mark, who made the revelations in a richly packaged book, entitled, “The shepherd cometh”, expected to be presented to the public soon, insisted that  if there was a grand design to annul the election, “I was certainly not a party to it nor was I aware of it.”

Speaking with newsmen yesterday in Abuja, former Editor of New Nigeria Newspapers, NNN, Mallam Yakubu Aliyu, who edited the book, said the publication chronicled the political events between 1992 and 1999, putting Senator David Mark in perspective.