JUNE 12 MEMORIAL: THE BUILDING OF A POLITICAL ALTAR IN NIGERIA by SHABA Mafu.

The 1993 Election Monitoring Body, the National Electoral Commission (NEC) headed by Professor Humphrey Nwosu had registered many political parties in his wisdom to let loose the democratic space for the ever bubbling Nigerian populace who were very active in politics and politicking to freely decide their political future. But the then Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida who has primed and prided himself as the ‘Evil Genius’ had another agenda in mind. He collapsed the political parties into two by fiat. The two parties were obviously divided, and intended along ethnic lines or regional lines, but his scheming failed in that wise. The two parties were the Social Democratic Party with Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, popularly known as MKO, as the presidential candidate, while Ambassador Babagana Kingibe was his running mate. The other party, the National Republican convention (NRC), ordinarily viewed as having a northern connotation had the hitherto unknown and politically-amateur Alhaji  Bashir Tofa as its presidential candidate.

The campaigns went on with all zeal and zest. The enthusiasm to boot out the military rule was ubiquitous in the minds of most Nigerians at the time. Chief MKO Abiola – a muslim from the South West Nigeria, a philanthropist, was the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party. Ambassador Kingibe was also a muslim from the Northern extraction. It was a muslim-muslim ticket for the SDP. Nobody whipped up religious or ethnic sentiments in the 1993 general elections because of the common desire to end the military misrule in Nigeria. The electorates voted massively, enthusiastically and unreservedly. The election was adjudged the best election ever conducted in Nigeria. The election took place on June 12, 1993. Abiola polled 8,341,309 votes (58.36%), while Tofa polled 5, 952,087 (41.64%) - that was the result that was never officially declared by NEC.

As Nigerians waited eagerly for the results to roll out drums for the celebrations, the enemy of democracy, like the Biblical Haman concocted some evil plot to ensure that the joy of Nigerians was broken. One Arthur Nzeribe formed a group called the Association  for Better Nigeria (ABN) and went to Court to obtain an injunction restraining  the NEC from continuing the announcements of the election results. In collaboration with the political murderer, General Babangida, in his greatest display of hypocrisy complied with the Court injunction as ordered by late Justice Bassey Ikpeme. Babangida unilaterally stopped further announcements of results by NEC, and annulled the entire elections on the 23^rd of June, 1993. This evil act sparked spontaneous and unilateral protests all over the country, until the government began to import ethnic colourations to the entire phenomenon. To perpetrate the struggle, some eminent Nigerians formed a political pressure group. This was basically to actualize the June 12 election and to swear-in the winner, Chief MKO Abiola as the elected President of Nigeria. The pressure group was known as the National Democratic Coaltion (NADECO). The frontiers of that group was late Chief Anthony Enahoro, late Abraham Adesanya, late Chief Bola Ige, Ayo Adebanjo, Ayo Opadokun, Admiral Babatunde Elegbede, Polycap Nwite, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, Chief Odigie Oyegun, Chief Olu Falae, Toyin Onagoruwa, Kudirat Abiola, among other great Nigerians.

General Babangida did all within his powers to puncture the intents of NADECO by bringing in Chief Ernest Shonekan, a man from the same ethnic extraction of Abiola. He came to power as the leader of an interim government from 26^th August 1993 to November 17, 1993. General Sani Abacha (late ) overthrew the government of Shonekan on November 17, 1998. The looter and political scoundrel in the person of Abacha consolidated the annulment of the June 12 elections, by hurling Chief MKO Abiola into prison and making sure he drove most of the NADECO members into exile.. Abacha eventually died on the 8^th of June, 1998, while Abiola followed him closely on the 7^th July 1998.

General Abdulsalam Abubakar came up, and in collaboration with other politically exposed people brought General Olushegun Obasanjo (retd) who was hitherto hurled into prison by Abacha, for alleged treasonable offence, in 1995 to contest in the 1999 general elections. Obasanjo contested the presidential elections under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and won. From General Obasanjo through Alhaji Yar Adua (of blessed memory) to Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the PDP enjoyed sixteen unbroken years of rulership of Nigeria. Unfortunately, none of these presidents who rode on Abiola’s back to become what they were, was ever comfortable when Abiola’s name was mentioned. They all stuck to May 29^th, a day that has no historical value and significance in Nigeria’s political history.  They all refused to acknowledge June 12 as the authentic Democracy Day. A day democracy was buried alive in Nigeria by General Babangida.

But like the thunderbolt from the blues, the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, a man from the Northern extraction, first apologized to the family of late Chief MKO Abiola for the injustice done to the late man and his family by the State. The apology was extended to Nigerians who voted overwhelmingly but had their hopes dashed. General Babangida who annulled the elections is still alive and never showed any remorse till eternity. General Obasanjo, the primary beneficiary of the struggles of Chief MKO still hated Abiola’s struggles till now. President Buhari did not stop at apologizing for the crime he did not commit, he went further to declare JUNE 12 every year as the DEMOCRACY DAY in Nigeria. This is a very correct move and must be applauded by all. This is practically bridge-building, manifest national-healing, and political sagacity from a man unprovokedly  hated by some Nigerians.. President Buhari took a further step to rename the Abuja national Stadium after Abiola. It is to be known and called as MKO ABIOLA STADIUM, from henceforth. Die-hard critics of Buhari like Reno Omokri, a very fine gentleman, and Femi-Fani Kayode, a young brilliant writer hailed this singular move by President Buhari.

I am not surprised to see people like the self-righteous Chief Obasanjo and the Atiku taking ill by this great move of President Buhari.

The declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day with particular recognition of Chief MKO Abiola is like erecting a political altar of eternal memorial in the politics of Nigeria. The recognition of June 12 is not only for late Chief MKO, but an implied recognition of all lovers and fighters for democracy especially in the dark days of Generals Babangida and late General Sani Abacha. People like the erudite Professor Wole Soyika, all NADECO members (dead, and living) are all by this singular action of the APC government and Buhari, honoured to the Heavens.

Never again should Nigerians allow such political profligacy, impunity and greed as exercised by Babangida, Arthur Nzeribe, Sani Abacha and all traducers to repeat itself in the political experiment of Nigeria. Nigeria is greater than any individual, and must so be upheld.

I stand unequivocally with President Buhari and the APC government in recognizing the June 12. I also stand with those who were massacred by the Armoured Tanks of IBB as a result of their protests and struggles for the actualization of the June 12, 1993 elections. Their deaths are not in vain. To me, on June 12 we stand as the federal government is poised to scrap May 29^th as a public holiday and replaces it with June 12 which shall be observed as a public holiday henceforth.