Nigerians erupted in ecstasy a fortnight ago as President Muhammadu Buhari mustard the required spiritual and political courage to validate the June 12, 1993 presidential election, which was clearly won by the candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola.
President Buhari’s action is definitely to the glory of God and shame of the devil. Buhari has done well irrespective of what anyone has to say about his actions.
Recognizing the result of the June 12, 1993 polls, which remains the freest and fairest ever in the history of the nation, has helped to correct injustice of the past and healed the wounds of the key actors and lovers of democracy across the country.
For many Nigerians, June 12 remains the rallying point of our national unity. It is good that Buhari conferred the highest national honours on the trio of Chief M.K.O.Abiola, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe and Chief Gani Fawehinmi, the man who doggedly fought the military for the actualization of the Abiola/Kingibe mandate.
I love the man Abiola for a couple of reasons. Many Nigerians would not contemplate, let alone pay the supreme sacrifice for our fatherland like he did. His traducers gradually murdered him. He was a man of rare ingenuity and immense means and courage. He lived with all the deprivations and indignities he suffered when his tormentors detained him for declaring himself president. But he fought like a man for what he believed in. He paid the supreme price for Nigeria to have democracy. Sadly, since then, successive regimes in the country have continued to live and rule in denial of the place of June 12 in our political life. Undoubtedly, June 12 was the day Nigerians from all parts of the country-North, East, West and South, Middle-Belt inclusive, broke the various divides-ethnic and religious, that hitherto kept them apart and voted for Abiola/Kingibe which was a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
To the glory of God and shame of satan and its agents in the land, twenty-five years after the country’s leaders lived in that denial and almost 20 years after Abiola’s death, the matter of June 12 was brought to a glorious end as it were, by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari’s surprising Executive Order replaced May 29 with June 12 as Democracy Day. He equally awarded the late Abiola the highest national honour in the land reserved for presidents and heads of state, the GCFR. Abiola’s former running mate, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, and the late irrepressible lawyer who fought vociferously for human rights and social justice, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, the president offered the GCON award. President Buhari also made June 12 a public holiday. He then ordered that the various awards be immediately gazette for records purposes and posterity. On June 12, 2018 this was brought to reality and Nigerians of goodwill converged from the human rights community and progressives family as well as all walks on Abuja to celebrate June 12 for the first time as a national event, where the President tendered a formal apology on behalf of the nation to the family of Late M.K.O Abiola. This is unprecedented leap forward for Nigerian democracy.
Now, that a Daniel has come to the throne of judgement, he has proclaimed it. If anything, President Muhammadu Buhari should not be vilified, but deserves great commendation and in fact, deserves a second term for this significant milestone and landmark executive order.
Expectedly, some reactions keep trailing the action of President Buhari. Some well intended, others evil from the pit of hell. One of such is the reaction of the Presidential candidate of the defunct National Republican Convention, Alhaji Bashir Tofa.
He reportedly objected to the decision of the federal government to recognise Abiola, as the winner of the election. Tofa, even had the brazen impudence to urge the federal government to reconsider its position, saying conferment of national honour on anyone should be beyond some cold political calculations. He even asked that he should also be honoured with GCFR, but failed that he should be killed as well as Abiola. Tofa ought to have requested that he be served the tea that Abiola was served that dispatched him to the great beyond.
Bashir Tofa should know that he was always in minority and even though Abiola’s enemies killed him, weeping eyes still see. It was obvious to the whole world that Tofa lost the election to a superior Chief. M.K.O Abiola and ought to have been a good sportsman, except if he (Tofa) wants Nigerians to believe that he was one of those who annulled the election having lost woefully to Abiola.
Some Nigerians have opined that this is politics. Dino Melaye said Abiola was no longer a Nigerian since he is dead. Some are of the view that President Buhari took the decision because he was no longer popular and wanted to win next year’s presidential election at all cost. But, if that is politics, it is the right politics. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Late President Musa-Yar ‘Adua, Chief Ernest Shonekan, and Goodluck Jonathan had the opportunity to play that politics but all failed to play it. Even when Abiola’s son requested then President Obasanjo to do it, he turned him and Nigerians down. Instead, he constituted the Justice Chukwudifu Oputa panel, which he used to deceive himself and not Nigerians about a vain effort to ‘heal the land’ Nothing came out of the Oputa panel. It was a mere waste of huge taxpayers’ money.
By now, those who annulled the June 12 1993 election, principally General Ibrahim Babangida, General Sani Abacha (his family as he is now late), and the beneficiaries of the woes of Abiola and indeed the nation-Chief Olusegun Obasanjo , Chief Ernest Shonekan and the rest of them must be ashamed of themselves. Like the ostrich, they should bury their heads in shame, as they remain the enemies of the nation even unto their death except they repent of their atrocities to the Abiola family and the nation and openly tender apologies.
President Muhammadu Buhari should muster the last courage to institute a trial of all those who annulled the June 12 election. They should be sentenced, if found guilty of treasonable felony to various jail terms, so they can perish in detention and even have opportunity of being served the soup they prepared.
Beyond all that what also remains curious in the minds of Nigerians around the June 12 is to probe the death of Abiola. Nigerians deserve to know who killed Abiola! In many quarters, it is believed that his death, from all accounts, was not natural. He was not ill prior to his death and was never reported to be sick. Even in the morning that he died, he was said to be in top spirit and went to meet a delegation of US envoy led by Suzan Rice. It is important that his death be thoroughly probed. Government of today has done noble, they have done very well and Nigerians appreciate them for it. But Buhari and his team should courageously take another step by letting us know what happened. Who prepared the tea that was served him? What were the contents of the teacup? Nigerians should know because that is what will deter future Babangidas and Abachas who may be contemplating to truncate democracy in Nigeria and those who had hand in the death of the winner of the poll. If there were external influence in his death, Nigerians need to know. After all, the US is still probing the role of Russia in the election that brought in Donald Trump.
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Mr. Dan Owegie is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Edo State.
