Those who thought the outrage over the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election had been doused may be far from the reality, as Nigerians were admonished to vehemently resist Ibrahim Babangida, the dictator responsible for the scuttling of the polls described as the freest and fairest in the history of the country.
At the public presentation of a book, Diary of a Debacle: Tracking Nigeria’s Failed Democratic Transition (1989-1994) in Lagos yesterday, former Chairman, Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and erstwhile governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu were among those who called on every Nigerian and lovers of Nigeria to keep up the spirit of the June 12, 1993 election alive.
According to them, one way to demonstrate desire for the growth of the country at this time is to do everything possible to ensure that those who annulled the election never have the opportunity of coming back to rule the country as they will never have anything good to offer the people.
The book is authored by an acclaimed journalism teacher, columnist and former Editorial Board Chairman of The Guardian, Dr. Olatunji Dare. The event was also used to mark the post- humous birthday of the acclaimed winner of the annulled polls Chief Moshood Abiola who should have been 73 years old yesterday.
The event held at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos and was chaired by one of the former chieftains of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Rear Admiral Godwin Ndubuisi Kanu. It was also attended by the governor of Lagos State, Babatunda Raji Fashola, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly Adeyemi Ikuforiji, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate in Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi and the governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole who was represented. Also at the event were business moguls, media practitioners, traditional rulers, elder statesmen and students leaders.
According to Tinubu, until Nigeria recognizes the late Abiola posthumously and acknowledge him as the fourth democratically elected President of Nigeria, justice has not been done.
He said the honour Nigerians have been giving to the late Abiola is neither because of his wealth nor because he was a friend to many of them but because of his political principles, his contribution and firm believe in the mandate of June 12 presidential election for which he eventually died.
“Several people today are benefitting from the democracy that Abiola and many other Nigerians died for. You only need to look at the annual list of the national honours awardees to come only to the conclusion that many were honoured for their notoriety and contributions to the political and economic instability of the country. Only a handful are being honoured for their distinction in their different fields of endeavours.”
Concerning the author, Tinubu said at the height of the crisis in 1993, while many of his privileged compatriots were working for the interment of the people’s mandate, Dr. Dare, at the risk of his life, job and home, chose to use his intellect to challenge the evil of dictatorship by educating and mobilizing his countrymen and women on the need to resist the military junta to a conclusive end.
“Today, rather than the celebration of this highly principled first class intellectual by the nation, we prefer to give national awards to the enemies of democracy,” the former governor said.
Tinubu also commended Ribadu for taking a good stance on the side of the people while some cabal in the country tried to use him against the interest of the masses. He then threw an open invitation to Ribadu to join the progressives in building the nation as the 2011 general elections draw close. This, many interpreted to be an invitation to join Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
Ribadu, in his speech, described the annulment of June 12, 1993 election as a political corruption that deserves the prosecution of the perpetrators.
He expressed concern that some of the principal actors of the dastardly act are at it again coming out and wanting to contest election in 2011.
At this point, he called on all Nigerians who voted in support of June 12 to resist such people, saying they have nothing good to offer.
Ribadu said: “It is painful when we talk about June 12, 1993 election without reference to thousands of people who died during the struggle, yet those responsible for it are coming on board again. The act almost made the country went into extinction. Many people were returning to their regions, it created confusion in the nation.”
The anti-corruption czar called on Nigerians to keep the spirit of June 12 election alive, saying “A new Nigeria is possible. It is very possible. We must all work in the spirit of June 12, 1993 election to keep the nation one and move it forward. It was a spirit of determination, a resolute and positive spirit. Although lives were lost, property destroyed and people suffered, but today, the same spirit bore us democracy and I belief it can also bring about new Nigeria.”
He added that Nigerians must join their voices in ensuring that the government honour Abiola.
Speaking on the importance of June 12, 1993 election to the history of the country, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar recounted what happened in the Jos convention, saying that late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua had predicted the annulment of the polls even before it was perpetrated by the regime of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd).
He said that though many people had earlier expressed doubt over the sincerity of Babangida conducting the election, but the late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua was specific in saying that the military would scuttle the election.
His words: “When we voted at the Jos convention, the plan was that Abiola should come number one, myself number two, but unfortunately it turned otherwise that Abiola came first and Alhaji Babagana Kingibe came second. There was a serious confusion and I had to call Yar’Adua who was in Kaduna to come to Jos. The man travelled over night to Jos and when he arrived, he told us to go for second voting, instructing us that we should ensure that Abiola is number one and anyone between me and Kingibe can be number two.
“I asked him why? His response was that the South West had shown support to the North by voting for him (Yar’Adua) during an earlier primaries of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and it was important that the North reciprocate same gesture to the west by voting for Abiola. The second reason was that if I, or Kingibe emerged, Babangida would annul the election and he was not sure whether the North would have the sophisticated courage to oppose him. However, if Abiola won, the West would be more sophisticated to oppose him. That was what eventually happened.”
The former vice president said it was unfortunate that both Abiola and Yar’Adua paid the supreme price for democracy. He commended the author for doing a great job in putting such a wonderful book together and bringing out facts that had not be revealed about the issue before now.
The chairman of the ocassion Kanu lamented that little progress had so far been made in the march towards democracy, and that whatever progress that had been made was in the wrong direction. He urged Nigerians to go back to the cause and effect of the current political crisis in order for the country to be able to make genuine progress commensurate with the democratic norm in place. He therefore asserted that such genuine progress could only come from “going back to true federalism” as the only way to address all abnormalities in the political space.
Governor Fashola said the period for Dare’s book launch was most auspicious, coming at the 73rd post-humous birthday celebration of the late Abiola. Fashola noted that without the supreme sacrifice Abiola made to free the political space from the military, he would probably not have been governor.
One of the late Abiola’s wives, Dr. (Mrs.) Doyin Abiola, in her remarks, could not find enough words to describe the courage of the author but said Dr. Dare is among the few his late husband always referred to as the minority among the minority for his great courage.
The book reviewer, Odia Ofeimum, said the spirit of June 12 is the spirit of firm resolve, of never counting cost, of going the distance, the spirit of resistance to, and defiance of, the exercise of arbitrary power.
Also present at the event were many eminent Nigerians including Chief Molade Okoya Thomas, National Chairman ACN, Chief Bisi Akande, Dr. Amos Akingba, Ambassador Dapo Fafowora, Ayo Opadokun, former commissioners for Information and Strategy and Environment in Lagos State, Dele Alake and Tunji Bello and the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian, Emeka Izeze.
