By Olakunle Agboola – I was taking note last month after reading some articles in the daily news over the June 12 pre-celebration event, when I got struck with the reality of annulment of 1993 general elections by military ruler Ibrahim Babangida, leading to a crisis that ended with Sani Abacha heading a coup later in the year. JUNE 12, 1993 was a victory for Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola of the Social Democratic Party, who defeated Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention. The annulment of the election elicited widespread protests across the country which also claimed a lot of lives and properties.
Agitation has been going on over the years to include the name of M.K.O Abiola in the ex-head of states’ configuration of Nigerian rulers. The June 12 movement, a political platform committed to the principle of popular democracy has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to recognize the late winner of the annulled 1993 Presidential Election, Moshood Abiola, as a former president of the country. The group also proposed JUNE 12 to be the democracy day rather than MAY 29 as it is currently being celebrated across the federation.
The agitation of ‘’JUNE 12 MOVEMENT OF NIGERIA’ ’came into reality on June 6, when President Muhammadu Buhari declared that the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola won the 1993 presidential elections. Also he is honoured with the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) title. June 12 has now become a national holiday and has replaced May 29 as Democracy Day.
There has been missed reaction across different lines of thought of the perception of ‘JUNE 12’. Reacting to the development, Balarabe Musa, National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party and former governor of old Kaduna State, said Mr Buhari’s action had given Nigerians renewed hope. “President Buhari’s action with regards to declaration of June 12 as democracy day and award of the highest honour to late Chief MKO Abiola are relevant, just, courageous and patriotic.
The Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, hailed the declaration of June 12 as a national Democracy Day, noting that this was what it had been clamouring for over the years. The group urged the Federal Government to go a step further by recognising the late Abiola as a former elected President of Nigeria. Afenifere’s spokesperson, Yinka Odumakin, stated that GCON is the highest honour in the land, we want Abiola to be formally recognised as a former elected President of Nigeria. The lawmakers also resolved that Buhari should declare Abiola and Kingibe as ex-president and former vice-president and should approve the entitlements due them as former president and vice-president, respectively.
Contrariwise, The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the national honour conferred on late Moshood Abiola, by President Muhammadu Buhari, reeks of hypocrisy and political desperation ahead of 2019 presidential election. PDP, in a statement by its publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, alleged that the president’s action merely seeks to use the name and person of Abiola to gain political capital and not out of genuine reverence and recognition for him. Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi west faulted the decision to confer the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on Abiola, saying a “dead man doesn’t deserve it. “No matter how beautiful a situation is, the law of the land remains the law of the land. Section (2) says ‘a person shall be eligible for appointment to any rank or holder unless he is a citizen of Nigeria. A dead man is not a citizen of the federal republic of Nigeria.’ We should not be emotional about this,” the lawmaker had said on the floor of the senate on Thursday, 7th of June.
A political analyst, Ben Adeoti argued that M.K.O and June 12 is a highly complex story and phenomenon. First Abiola was never president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So, we should not fake an ex (prefix) to his title? We should recognize that those misguided people who annulled the JUNE 12, 1993 mandate of Chief M.K.O. Abiola did not even admit that he was president-elect. So, how come someone who was not declared president should now be recognized as an ex-president? It is neither logical, nor desirable, and above all, it is unconstitutional. It takes the deep to call to deep; June 12 annulment is deeper than the shallow mind can fathom said Adeoti.
The fracas of the phenomenon of JUNE 12 is very much on-going. The annulment per say was to stop the man, and the enforcement of annulment that followed was to erase Abiola’s memory from the minds of the people. In the first phase of the struggle, the agenda of the annulers triumphed. The military retained power and one of its members, General Sani Abacha tried to usurp the presidency in a barren exercise which evaporated at his death. However, the struggle to totally suppress the significance of JUNE 12 did not end and by some unfortunate set of circumstances, the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) struggle was derogated from a national campaign to a tribal or sectional agitation by those who themselves still wanted to ensure that JUNE 12 died permanently.
But If only they could spare a little thought, they will come to grips with the realities that JUNE 12 has brought about what will not go away from Nigeria. If not for JUNE 12 and the agitation of NADECO, perhaps, the Niger Delta will today be in slumber over the issue of resources control. Maybe those who still hoodwink themselves that JUNE 12 is a tribal struggle, may need the wisdom of the deep understanding that the call for true federalism today has its deeper root in the JUNE 12 struggle.
Every inch of the essence of JUNE 12 is embedded in the democratic ethos today. It is a reflection of Nigeria living beyond ethnicity and religion bigotry for patriotic leader to arise. M.K.O may be dead, but the significance and/or consequence of JUNE 12 is very much alive with us and remains a critical factor that will determine this nation’s tomorrow.
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