The quietude of Kola Abiola’s run for the presidency, on the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) ticket, was just broken by a court that fixed hearing on a suit by a rival claimant to the ticket, Patience Ndidi Key.
The PRP primaries were held on June 5. The hearing has been fixed for November 8.
The break of the lull is just as well! Abiola’s loudly quiet run is a sharp contrast to his father, Basorun MKO Abiola’s boisterous and glorious run — and win — of 1993.
MKO served out his entire mandate in military detention, from which he never came out alive. However, his posthumous recognition as a past president, by President Muhammadu Buhari, somewhat lessened the sting.
Still, the son’s very quiet run is such a stark contrast to the father’s triumphant win you may well remember French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte and Louis Bonaparte, his poor nephew-imitation.
That poor — indeed laughable — comparison inspired that timeless put-down by Karl Marx: history repeats itself first as tragedy, then as farce.
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The one is running on PRP. Yes, it’s the oldest party in Nigeria today. The late Malam Balarabe Musa resuscitated the 2nd Republic PRP of Mallam Aminu Kano, going through the crucible to prevail against the Ibrahim Babangida order, that insisted on the Hobson’s choice of its two funded parties, in the run-on to the still-birth 3rd Republic.
The other — and original — ran on the ticket of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which crushed its Siamese twin, the National Republican Convention (NRC); and handed the progressives their first ever presidential win in Nigerian history.
PRP may be the oldest in Nigeria but today it’s a rather modest platform. Even when it once attracted the partisan love of Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe, it never went near being a mainstream party, with any serious chances at winning presidential power. Today, it would appear even more humble.
So, might the son be running — if he prevails in the suit — just to make up the numbers when the father clearly ran to win — and won — triggering a rare national ardour?
Time will tell. But right now, the contrast is startling. Wallahi, Louis is a far cry from Napoleon!