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Tag: June 12

  • June 12 and illusion of hope

    June 12 and illusion of hope

    The June 12, 1993 presidential election was free and fair. Twenty two years after, those who annulled the historic poll won by the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, the late Chief Moshood Abiola, have not shown remorse. In recent past, the Jonathan Administration acknowledged him as the President-elect. But, the effort by the Federal Government to immortalise the symbol by naming the University of Lagos, Akoka after him was rejected because some stakeholders said it was a wrong move. Will the Buhari Administration immortalise Abiola according to popular wishes? Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU revisits the June 12 saga and its lessons for the polity. 

    For the first time, Nigerians were united by the resolve to make the country a nation, contrary to its inherent contradiction as a plural social formation forcefully amalgamated in 1914 to serve the interest of the British. That moment of decision was June 12, 1993, when people trooped out to vote for the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, the presidential candidate of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP).

    Abiola, the Basorun of Ibadan and Aare Ona Kankanfo of Yorubaland, was a Yoruba from Ogun State. But, he was endowed with an irrepressible national outlook. Thus, he was endorsed at the poll by millions of people across the over 250 ethnic groups. The mandate given to him was to liberate the country from the yoke of militocracy. Unlike the elections before and after it, June 12, 1993 elections was not shaped by tribalism, religious animosity and ethnic suspicion. It was a big achievement for the military that was trying to midwife democracy. But, it was mismanaged because the military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, was reluctant to leave when the ovation was loud.

    However, the mandate became Abiola’s undoing. He was arrested and hounded into detention like a criminal. He never returned alive. The death of his wife, Kudirat, who sustained the struggle when he was in detention, was also gruesome. The Amazon was killed along Seven-Up Junction, Toll Gate, Oregun, Lagos when she was on her way to the American Embassy.

    Abiola never betrayed the import of his Oyo title: the Generalisimo. He was a man of valour; a great warrior and fighter. He was harassed,  abused and blackmailed. But, he refused to desert the battle field, That would have meant abandoning the people in their hour of great thirst for popular rule. To the progressives who rallied round him, it was a titanic battle for reshaping the country.

    In detention, there was no hope that he would ever return. The circumstances surrounding his death has been in the realm of conjecture. What killed him? Who killed him? The answer has been elusive. Abiola’s slogan was the abolition of poverty. He was the hero of the masses who suffer from want and misery. The military dangled carrots at him. But, the billionaire businessman refused to trade the people’s mandate for big contracts and mundane economic gains. His life was a lesson in determination, consistency and dedication to principles.

    Abiola outlived his tormentor, Gen. Sani Abacha. But, his last goal-the assumption of office, was not fulfilled. Thus, he lacked self-actualisation. He died a martyr. His death marked the end of  an era. His ghost is still hunting his alleged killers. His memory has endured. So were his grace, act of giving, meetle of speech, force of character, and love for the common man, which made him a reference point in history.

    Abiola was mourned by the beneficiaries of his philanthropic activities, the universities where he instituted endowment funds, the churches and mosques he assisted, the indigent students he sponsored, the workers in his various industries and companies, the poor and the needy he courted, his political associates and the masses that voted for him to liberate them from poverty.

    Besides, Abiola had another pastime. He led the fight for reparations in Africa. He said the descendants of the poorest of the poor; the hewers of wood and fetchers of water deserved compensation for slavery in Europe and America.

    Twenty one years the annulment, the pain of the annulment lingers. On the day the results were cancelled, there were confusion, outrage and condemnation of the barbaric act. But, the military was adamant. Democracy, according to lb servers, was subjugated by the barrel of gun. The hope of a peaceful transfer of power to the democratically elected President was dashed. The rest is history.

    Successive elections have been tainted with fraud. Pro-democracy groups believe that, if the historic poll had been affirmed, Nigeria would have laid a solid foundation for the sanctity of the ballot box. In 1999, the presidential election was resolved at the Supreme Court. In 2003, 2007 and 2007, it followed the same pattern. The major opposition candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, challenged the flawed processes in the court. Although the recent presidential election was perceived to be largely free and fair, it cannot be on the same pedestal like the June 12, 1993 election. The recent election was shaped by ethnicity and religion.

    On  June 12, 1993, when Abiola defeated the candidate of the National Republican Convention (NRC), Alhaji Othman Bashir, the poll was peaceful nationwide. There were no malpractices, thuggery and violence. To domestic and foreign observers, Nigeria was coming of age. Also, voters issued a red card to the soldiers of fortune. But, the sit tight military rulers resisted the change, caged the symbol and consequently, the victor became the villain.

    Babangida took the credit for the colossal assault on democracy. In the process, he dribbled himself into the dark corner of history, thereby missing a glorious opportunity to imprint his name in gold. Every year, he is remembered in connection the history of treachery and betrayal, which will be narrated from generation to generation. Posing as a populist leader, the former military leader elicited the support of the people for the longest transition process that was programmed to fail.

    When Babangida unfolded his transition programme, the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, cautioned against the illusion of hope. Weary of the prevailing political situation, he warned that when Nigerians imagined that the new order had arrived, they would be terribly disappointed. Awo also urged his followers to learn to eat and wine with the devil with a long spoon.

    Babangida started to gamble with the transition timetable very early. He shifted the poll twice. The third attempt was resisted by the human rights community. On poll day, voters were determined. According to the National Electoral Commission (NEC) chaired by Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, 14 million voters participated in the exercise. The contest showcased the potency of the Option A4, the open ballot system and the symbolic importance of the two party system. According to the poll results, Abiola scored 8,341, 309 votes, representing 58.36 percent of the total votes cast. Tofa, sources said, was ready to concede victory. In fact, the NRC National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Doyin Okupe, declared that the poll was free and fair, affirming that Abiola won a popular mandate. However, the game of deception by the military had reached the peak.

    Former military Vice President Admiral Augustus Aikhomu’s media aide Mr. Nduka Iraboh offered a feeble and spurious explanation for the annulment.  He said: “In view of the litigation pending in the various courts, the Federal Government is compelled  to take appropriate steps to rescue the judiciary. These steps are taken to protect our legal system and the judiciary from being ridiculed and politicised, both nationally and internationally.

    “In an attempt to end this ridiculous charade, which may culminate in judicial anarchy, the Federal Military Government has decided to: stop forthwith all court proceedings pending or to be instituted and appeals thereon in respect of any matter touching, relating or concerning the presidential election held on June 12, 1993, the Transition to Civil Rule Political Programme (Amendment No 3, Decree No 52 of 1992 and the presidential election.

    Irabor added: “Basic Constitutional and Transitional Provision Decree No 13 of 1993 is hereby repealed. all acts or omissions done or purportedly to have been done, or to be done by any person, authority etc, under the above named decrees are hereby declared invalid. The National Electoral Commission is hereby suspended. All acts or omission done or purported to have been done by itself, its officers or agents under the repealed Decree No 13, 1993, are hereby nullified.”

    Later, Babangida said the process of authentication and clearance of the presidential candidates was not thorough. Intoxicated by power, he declared that although he knew those who would not succeed him, he did not know those who would succeed him. Nigerians were taken aback when the military President boasted that “we are not only in government, we are in power.”

    With the cancellation of the results, Abiola’s vision for Nigeria died. The businessman-turned politician had fought many personal battles, but the  ‘June 12’ battle was the fiercest battle of his life. Rejecting the annulment, Abiola declared himself as the custodian of a sacred mandate. He said, having voted for him, the people of Nigerian expected him to assume the reins on August 27, 1993. “ I intend to keep that date with history,” he said.

    Babangida knew the ability of his friend, Abiola. He could not underrate his gut. Courage and the resolve to succeed were the hallmarks of Abiola’s life.  In a birthday message to him in 1992, Babangida acknowledge the rare virtue, stressing that “ a major feature of your life, so far, is the doggedness and determination with which you pursue any venture embarked upon”.

    Abiola fought gallantly as an inexperienced politician. His strength was his mass following. When the military turned the heat on him, hje jetted out to seek international support. By the time he returned home, his party had split. The SDP leaders started to speak from the two sides of the mouth. Also, empire was subjected to torture. Former Information Minister Comrade Uche Chukwumerije mounted propaganda against the just cause. He said, by travelling abroad, MKO had gone down in history as the first Aare Ona Kankanfo of Yoruba to have deserted the battle field. As June 12 divided the polity, associates were changing allegiance. The Association for Better Nigeria (ABN) led by Senator Arthur Nzeribe, engaged in infamous deformation of the struggle, collating imaginary signatures of people against the election. The late Admiral  Aikhomu also said that Abiola was not fit to rule, explaining that the rich are not necessarily philosophical kings.

    For Abiola, history merely repeated itself on June 12, 1993.  On June 12 1982, he could not even collect the presidential nomination form from the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) National Secretariat . The gate of the party secretariat was shot against him. The former Transport Minister, the late Dr. Umaru Dikko, told Abiola that “the Presidency is not for the highest bidder”. Two years before, he had also aspired to lead the NPN. But, he was defeated by the more experienced Chief Adisa Akinloye.

    However, in the aborted Third Republic, the stumbling block, President Babangida, was too formidable, assumed full executive powers, without the accompanying checks and balances. But,  Abiola was ready to lay down his life, which he eventually did.  In his famous Epe Declaration, the President-elect said: “Never before has there been such a cynical and contemptuous abrogation of solemn commitment and fixed programme.”

    However, the collective resistance by pro-democracy groups failed. When Babangida stepped aside, he did not hand over to Abiola, but an interim government headed by Chief Ernest Shonekan. Rationalising the option,  Obasanjo said it was regrettable, but understandable. The interim contraption was short-lived. On November 10, 1993, Justice Dolapo Akinsanya of the Lagos High Court dismantled the interim apparatus, saying that it was illegal, unconstitutional, null and void. On November 18, 1993, the interim government was shoved aside by Gen. Sani Abacha, who proclaimed himself as the Head of State.

    To the consternation of pro-democracy crusaders, Abacha abolished all democratic structures at the state and federal levels, disbanded the National Electoral Commission (NEC), banned the two political parties and set up the Provisional Ruling Council (PRC). Then, he promised to hand over to Abiola. In their naivety, credible politicians were cajoled to serve under the administration as ministers, thereby mocking their antecedents as June 12 travelers. The military Head of State later initiated a self-succession plan, which collapsed when he mysteriously passed on.

    Few days after Abacha died, Abiola also died in detention in controversial circumstance. His death in detention provoked outrage and condemnation. Human rights activists alleged that he was killed in detention. The autopsy is still in the realm of conjecture.

    As Nigerians celebrate the 22nd anniversary of the most credible election, there are some unresolved issues: Who killed Abiola? How did he died? Also, since the Federal Government has acknowledged him as the President-elect, who was unjustifiably denied the popular mandate conferred on him, how should he be immortalised?

    “Since the Federal Government has acknowledged him as the President-elect, who was unjustifiably denied the popular mandate conferred on him, how should he be immortalised”

     

  • An unseasonable remembering of JUNE 12

    An unseasonable remembering of JUNE 12

    Nigeria does not need another June 12, targeted at the North, the South-south, or Southeast

    The season of remembering June 12, 1993 as a day in our country’s political history and as a trope for resistance of oppression is three months away. But the bizarre circumstances of our time make a premature remembrance imperative. In normal times, nobody will say or do anything that is capable of bringing back the memory of June 12, but words and actions in the last two months by both political and cultural leaders are strikingly similar to the circumstances before the election (that could have brought MKO Abiola to the presidency) and the uncertainty and instability that came after the annulled election.

    Although the election contested by Chief Abiola and Alhaji Tofa on June 12, 1993 was sponsoredand supervised by a military dictator while the 2015 election is mandated by the 1999 Constitution, the circumstances before both elections are looking too similar and thus becoming worrisome to anyone who believes that the survival of the Nigerian Union depends on consolidation of democracy and on proper democratic transition between regimes or at the end of each presidential/gubernatorial tenure. In what ways are the days before the two elections looking alike?

    In 1993, primaries were cancelled just as citizens were not sure if the election was going to hold until the election came upon them. There was a group known as Association for Better Nigeria that emerged miraculously to make efforts to stop the election through an Abuja court. In 2015, pre-election primaries were not cancelled but the presidential election was postponed from February 14 to March 28. Furthermore, a new political group, Young Democratic Party, threatens to go to court to stop the election shifted to March 28. The desire to stop the election is on account of the insistence of YDP that its name be put on the ballot by INEC to enable it contest the presidential election on March 28, a little over two weeks away from the election and despite the fact that Young Democratic Party has not conducted its primaries to choose its presidential candidate.

    Events after the 1993 presidential election are resonating in the election discourse of 2015. In 1993, an Interim Government was installed to replace what would have been a democratically elected president with mandate from majority of voters in an election that is still being touted today (even by those who annulled it) as the freest and fairest in the political history of the country. The Interim Government was also branded as a Unity government. The Interim Government that started with Chief Ernest Shonekan quickly transformed into a Unity government under General Sani Abacha after he kicked out Shonekan, and the rest is now history.

    In 2015 and even weeks before the election, self-appointed political engineers (as individuals and groups) have also been drumming for Interim government and Unity government. Even a group led by Prof. Ben Nwabueze, the country’s foremost constitutional lawyer, has called on whoever emerges as winner of the election to install a Unity government that draws ministers and board chairs from the political parties in contest for the presidency. It turned out that the Interim Government put in place by General Ibrahim Babangida in 1993 was a transition government between two military dictatorships, thus suggesting that annulment of the June 12 election was premeditated and that the matter of Interim Government was a stratagem to prepare for entrance of Babangida’s military successor.

    What is confusing about the noise being made in support of Interim and Unity government in 2015 is that the election is supposed to be a process at the end of one democratically elected government to choose another or renew the tenure of the incumbent. Under the constitution, the incumbent is qualified to contest for a second term in office just as any member of opposition parties is qualified to contest against the incumbent. Under the constitution that brought the incumbent president to power, there is no provision for an Interim or Unity government. And there is no incontrovertible evidence that the incumbent has decided to sit tight regardless of the outcome of the election. If anything, President Jonathan has assured the nation and the world that he will quit if he loses the election.

    Are the new political engineers in the country’s boiler room seeing what President Jonathan himself cannot see and what the rest of the country is unable to see? Or, are they simply playing the role of Cassandra, foretelling doom, regardless of the facts on the ground? Are the new political engineers scheming to suspend the constitution and bring a new contraption into being? Is the call for Interim or Unity government simply a manifestation of the nation’s pathological problem, known in popular parlance as the Nigeria Factor, a reference to the propensity of Nigerians to engage in denialism? Whatever it may be, it is a dangerous call to make on the eve of a constitutionally-mandated election. Such calls have the capacity to disorientate citizens and demoralise voters.

    What makes the 2015 election different from the one of 2011? The two leading candidates today were the two front-runners in 2011. The campaign in 2011 was decent, even elegant. The two candidates and their supporters focused on what they could or would do if elected, just as the pundits on duty then encouraged voters to exercise their franchise fully. In 2011, nobody mentioned the two concepts now in circulation: Interim and Unity governments. Even when General Olusegun Obasanjo declared that the 2007 election was a ‘do-or-die’ event, no political engineers called for Interim or Unity government. I still recall the encouraging assessment made by President Jonathan at the end of the 2011 election: “a successful and acceptable civilian to civilian election,” a subtle reference to the 2007 election that brought him in as vice president as not successful and acceptable.

    Calls for Interim or Unity government are confusing citizens and are capable of making voters feel that their votes would not matter. Even some social media pundits are more alarmist than the political engineers that propagate their ideas in the traditional media. Some social media pundits are already insinuating that 2015 may produce the June 12 for the North, just as 1993 did for the Southwest. Realising that in 1993 the two principal characters that annulled the presidential election were from the north: Babangida and Abacha, and the victim: MKO Abiola was from the Southwest, any innuendo about a Fulani June 12 should be (and is) worrisome.

    Nigeria does not need another June 12, targeted at the North, the South-south, or Southeast. Those who participated in pro-democracy struggle to move the country beyond sidetracking properly conducted elections, just like those who stood by to watch them, cannot but remember that the years of transition from military dictatorship under Babangida to Interim Government under Shonekan and back to military dictatorship with the obsession to transform into elected civilian government were some of the worst years in the country’s history, especially in terms of repression,  unnecessary loss of lives through extermination of citizens by those in power, and erosion of Nigeria’s international dignity.

    Like a civil war, one June 12 is enough for a country that wants to survive as one. What is at issue in 2015 is straightforward and clear: fair, free, and credible election. All suggestions from political engineers and pundits should be to encourage politicians and citizens to talk and work towards free and fair election and to support INEC to conduct free, fair, and credible elections. A free, fair, and credible election is the only thing that can move the country towards further consolidation of democracy and assure citizens that the country as a multiethnic ‘state-nation’ is worth giving a chance to find its feet and grow, not calls for extra-constitutional political contrivance.

  • Remember June 12

    June 12, 1993 remains a remarkable date in Nigeria. There is no way it can be forsaken by those who maneuvered the notable electoral event of the day. Whether it wanted to be ignored or not by manipulators of realities, what happened then cannot be deleted in history. It stays put as the day of the freest and fairest presidential election when the nation’s citizens pronounced their will which those in power then frustrated in self-interest.

    Election rigging is not strange in Nigerian politics. It has been at hand even before 1960 political independence. The only thing was the continuing increased electoral abuse overtime. Regrettably, Nigerians have recurrently been denied the opportunity to enjoy suitable democracy as supremely replicated through free and fair electoral process. It is not infrequent to hear forged election results been announced in many parts of the country. The thieving of ballot boxes and the manhandling of polling officers and representatives of the opposing political parties are well implanted in Nigeria. But on that June 12 election, beyond earlier postponements and nullifications of earlier candidates, people voted the way they wanted.

    Being truly the freest and fairest in the annals of election in the country, it was to be the beginning of the season for restoration of the nation’s lost political glories.  However, when the authentic results were coming out, the reality became contrary to the tyrannical minds of those who cared less for the political advancement of the nation. Chief MKO Abiola, candidate of the then Social Democratic Party was ahead in comprehensible and clear victory over Alhaji Ibrahim Tofa, candidate of National Republican Congress. On senseless excuse, the emerging result was annulled by former dictator military self-acclaimed President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.

    There was crisis and calamities across the nation. Even when Bababngida was forced to step down, the follow-ups kept dumping the nation that was ordained to be great to the downgrading valley. Abiola’s insistence on his mandate eventually led to his confinement for several years under the late Gen. Sani Abacha, the nastiest leader Nigeria ever had. His wife, Kudirat fighting for the restoration of her husband’s mandate was gunned down around Lagos tollgate by Abacha military warriors. Many people were also killed while many of value flee out of the country. My humble self was imprisoned for six months just because, as an editor then, I published a story that justly revealed the wickedness and inhumanity of the Abacha regime.

    As things are today, it is as if that same season of Nigeria’s degradation is coming back again. With the postponed general elections drawing closer, politicians are in further desperation. There are lies upon lies by liars without love for the masses.

    The military that wrecked Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s 20-month tenure as military Head of State in 1985 largely because of his battle against corruption are now being mobilized to preserve corruption by working for the nation’s most corrupt government. A look back could also see the military that refused to permit Abiola becoming president despite his victory in the most credible election as the same used in Ekiti State last year to block the right people that were to enter the state and protect political and electoral defaulters desperate to enter and win the election at all costs.

    In reality, the Nigerian security services are now much weaker now than they used to be. Still, they are being used, and being planned to be used to retain more belligerent power than any other group in the nation.

    After five years of deterioration in curtailing the Boko Haram terrorists, it is thorny to envisage that the security situation in the North East will change conclusively in just six weeks. Even with the military working with some neighbouring countries recapturing villages from the insurgents, the large number of the abducted, internally displaced persons and refugees still might not be able to be free to join in voting. But is all the news from the military really true? Afterall, twice had it been proclaimed that terrorist leader Shekau had been killed, whereas the same authority is promising again that the same declared dead will soon be captured alive.

    In wisdom and understanding, we need not forget that privileges alone cannot save anyone. Any authority in political office seeing itself in unending empowerment is in foolhardiness. No matter the desperation, there is a limit to the time the Creator has made for all things to be operational. Nothing of this world can be everlastingly preserved. Indeed, any leader without positive legacy is bound to end in ordinariness.

    In the Scripture, Lot’s wife had many privileges; but she had no grace. She left Sodom with her husband on the day Sodom was destroyed. Against God’s articulated command, walking behind her husband, she looked back at the things of the world in the city. She was smacked dead at once, and turned into a pillar of salt. Her story was held up as a guiding light when Jesus Christ Himself counselled: “Remember Lot’s wife.”

    Today President’s wife is named Patience, but she is living contrary to that name. The way she speaks is not of a diligent First Lady that desiring legacy for her husband. In a recent campaign in Calabar, she asked PDP supporters to stone APC supporters chanting the “change” slogan of the party. In Kogi State, she portrayed Buhari as a man with dead brain, disregarding that an old man can be more experienced in intelligence than a younger naive person.

    In similar senseless mode, PDP presidential campaign media head, Femi Fani-Kayode only speaks Queen’s English without making his brain active when perverting combative allegations to demean the opposition. Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose too has been allowed to remain whom he is:  unruly hoodlum.

    Instead of promoting issues that will benefit the people, why must presidential campaigns be revolting the kind of crisis that razed the nation in the past? Or are we going back to June 12?

    Afenifere: Feedback

    “Soon or late, the day is coming, tyrant’s man shall be overthrown.” -George Orwell, Animal Farm.

    Soji, your treatise on the so-called Afenifere in Yorubaland was a piece of journalistic excellence. To several people in western region, Afenifere died with Pa Adesanya and Ajasin respectively. Those parading themselves as one today are victims of stomach infrastructure who are of no electoral value and who of course can never come out openly to vote on election day. These so-called, self-appointed leaders have lost their souls, credibility and values (if there is any remaining). I have a strong axiom for these rapacious, selfish leaders thus “one thing is certain about all mortals – the judgment of God and that of posterity.” Whether anybody likes it or not, change is looming and inevitable, come March 28.

    – Soji Oloketuyi, Igbemo-Ekiti.

     

    Your piece on Afenifere actually shares my bewilderment on what has become of the old men of Afenifere. They have become an embarrassment to the Yoruba race as they have sadly turned themselves into political Almanjiris just because of their hatred for one man, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. In 2003, due to their cluelessness, the PDP gave them a dazing knockout, snatching all Yoruba states, except Lagos from AD party. They have now started again with the bait of Constitutional Conference report implementation as if it is all about Yorubas. They don’t even consider that Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is their son. History will surely serve them a bitter menu.

    – Femi Abiwon.

     

    Dear Uncle Omotunde sir, they are the Afenifere arm of PDP who just shamelessly want their share of the bloody petro dollars endorsement contract. Asiwaju will expose their electoral worthlessness on 28 March and11 April, 2015! Thank God, we still have  more principled, credible, eminent, incorruptible elder statemen viz Justice Mustapha Akanbi, Pa Sen Ayo Fasanmi, Profs Wole Soyinka, Tam  David West, ABOO Oyediran, Gen Alani Akinrinade, etc. who can still be counted upon at a crucial time like this.

    – Engr Chief Adewumi Ogundare, Ilorin.

     

    Sir, it is now clear that Afenifere had generally spent their good will among the larger Yorubas and what they live on now is deceit and failed past glory. They are down, and rather for them to rise up, ego will not allow them to. Their inability to rise above their ego will make them to go down permanently into their graves in their dirty rag of ego.

    – Falaye Oreoluwa, Abuja

     

    Mr Omotunde, the so-called Afenifere elders are actually a sick and confused lot. They are a spent group who cannot dictate to us Yorubas whom we are to vote for. They are a shameless group of onijekujes.

    – +2348167830707

     

    Groups edorsement of candidates should base on performances not what stomach would eat because tomorrow minces will catch us for our wrong doing.

    -G.C.Nnorom

     

    The old Afeniferes are now known as Alapapin; they don’t represent Yoruba any more.

    – +2348029037867

  • Group warns against re-enacting ‘June 12’

    A group, the Civil Society Coalition on Good Governance, has vowed to resist any attempt by the Jonathan Administration and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to truncate the electoral process.

    Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, the group accused the Federal Government of planning to re-enact “June 12”, adding that the  signs are there for everyone to see.

    The spokesman for the group, Comrade Declan Ihekaire, said  there are fears about the postponement of the elections, the removal of the Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega and the formation of an interim national government.

    He warned that the consequences of any attempt to subvert the will of the people will be catastrophic, particularly, for impoverished Nigerians, who are already pushed to the wall.

    Ihekaire called on the ruling party to put the interest of the country above  individual and narrow interests. He urged them to desist from actions that will push the country to the brink of disintegration.

    On the use of military during elections, the civil society group said: “The Armed Forces have no business with the internal security of the country, except with the approval of the National Assembly under certain circumstances. Their foray into politics and electoral matters is a constitutional infringement that must not be tolerated.

    “We commend the courageous judgment of the Appeal Court, Abuja on this matter. The Justice Abdul Aboki-led five man panel of the Appeal Court barred the Armed Forces in the conduct of future elections in the country, as such constituted a violation of both the Constitution and the Electoral Act.

    “We therefore call on the military hierarchy to ensure that their officers and men are insulated from politics and not used for election purposes or for the harassment of citizens and members of the opposition.”

    Ihekaire called for immediate re-deployment of Assistant Insector General of Police (Zone 2) Mbu Joseph Mbu  for ordering the police under his jurisdiction to kill 20 civilians for every policeman killed during the elections. He described the statement as irresponsible and called for his re-deployment to the Northeast to combat terrorists, since he claims to be a lion.

    He said: “Mbu represents a rotten apple in the police and a threat to public safety, his careless, reckless and irresponsible threat to kill 20 citizens for every policeman killed have clearly shown the type of police officer he is.

    “But, our bigger worry is not that he is quoted as having said this, but that the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has not moved quickly enough either to deny it or to put distance between them and this statement. There is a principle of proportionality that must underlie law enforcement response to unlawful conduct even with provocation.

    “Given his antecedents, especially while serving in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as Commissioner of Police, we have no doubt that Mbu is a threat to public safety, a threat to credible elections, a threat to the rule of law and ultimately a thread to our fledgling democracy,” the activist stated.

  • Group warns against re-enacting ‘June 12’

    A group, Civil Society Coalition on Good Governance  has vowed to resist any attempt by the Goodluck Jonathan administration and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to truncate the electoral and democratic process in the country.

    They accused the Federal Government of plans to re-enact another “June 12” episode given the palpable signs and fears of further postponement of elections, removal of the Independent National Electoral Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega and formation of an interim national government.

    The group at a press conference in Lagos yesterday warned that the consequences of any attempt to subvert the will of the people will be catastrophic for the country particularly for the impoverished Nigerians who are already pushed to the wall.

    Its spokesman, Comrade Declan Ihekaire called on the ruling party and government to put the interest of the country above their individual and narrow interests and desist from actions that will push Nigeria further to the brinks of disintegration.

    On the use of military during elections, the civil society group said: “The Armed Forces have no business with the internal security of the country except with the approval of the National Assembly under certain circumstances. Their foray into politics and electoral matters is a constitutional infringement that must not be tolerated.

    “We commend the courageous judgment of the Appeal Court, Abuja on this matter. The Justice Abdul Aboki-led five man panel of the Appeal Court barred the Armed Forces in the conduct of future elections in the country as such constituted a violation of both the Constitution and theElectoral Act.

    “We therefore call on the military hierarchy to ensure that their officers and men are insulated from politics and not used for election purposes or for the harassment of citizens and members of the opposition.”

    Ihekaire called for immediate re-deployment of Assistant Insector General of Police (Zone 2) Mbu Joseph Mbu  for ordering the police under his jurisdiction to kill 20 civilians for every policeman killed during the elections. He described the statement as irresponsible and called for his re-deployment to the Northeast to combat terrorist since he claims to be a lion.

    He said “Mbu represents a rotten apple in the police and a threat to public safety, his careless, reckless and irresponsible threat to kill 20 citizens for every policeman killed have clearly shown the type of police officer he’s.

    “But our bigger worry is not that he is quoted as having said this but that the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has not moved quickly enough either to deny it or to put distance between them and this statement. There is a principle of proportionality that must underlie law enforcement response to unlawful conduct even with provocation”.

    Given his antecedents, especially while serving in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as Commissioner of Police, we have no doubt that Mbu is a threat to public safety, a threat to credible elections, a threat to the rule of law and ultimately a thread to our fledgling democracy, the activist stated.

  • Don’t re-enact June 12, group tells Jonathan

    Don’t re-enact June 12, group tells Jonathan

    A group, Civil Society Coalition on Good Governance, has vowed to resist any attempt by President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to truncate the nation’s electoral and democratic process.

    The group accused the Federal Government of planning to re-enact another “June 12” episode, given the palpable signs and fears of further postponement of elections, threat of removal of Independent National Electoral Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega and formation of an interim national government.

    The group, at a news conference in Lagos yesterday, warned that the consequences of any attempt to subvert the will of the people would be catastrophic for the country, particularly for the impoverished Nigerians who were already pushed to the wall.

    Its spokesman, Comrade Declan Ihekaire, called on the ruling party and government to put the interest of the country above their individual and narrow interests and desist from actions that would push Nigeria further to the brinks of disintegration.

  • June 12 on my mind

    Nigeria on the march again;
    On the march again;
    Looking for Mr President o;
    On the march again;
    MKO is our man o 2ce

    I am sure not a few Nigerians are familiar with the above political jingle by the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) as the left of centre political party sought to get Nigerians to vote for its candidate Chief MKO Abiola, (now late) in the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

    As the nation begins another march towards electing a new president on February 14, 2015, recent events in the polity in the run up to the 2015 general elections remind one of similar events, 22 years ago, that led to the premature demise of the third republic.

    You will recall that the 1993 presidential election was contested by the two officially recognized political parties; the SDP and the right of centre National Republican Convention (NRC). Though the present dispensation is a multi party set up, the election on February 14 will be a straight contest between the candidates of the two dominant political parties, Goodluck Jonathan (the incumbent) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).  Any other candidate in the race is just wasting his time.

    Because of the caliber of the political heavyweights in the SDP, people thought it would be difficult for them to come out with a presidential candidate that would enjoy widespread support within the party. Just as the PDP people were saying in the run up to the formation of APC, the doomsday prophets were predicting crisis in the SDP post its presidential primary; but they were wrong. The primary produced billionaire businessman/politician, Chief MKO Abiola as SDP’s presidential candidate and both the party and its candidate grew from strength to strength across the federation, to the surprise and annoyance of the opposition, including the then ruling military junta.

    The strength and appeal of Abiola across the country turned his ‘Hope 93’ campaign into a national movement for change that drew support from millions of Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora; the kind of movement that we are seeing today in the APC/Buhari campaign to rescue Nigeria from Jonathan and the PDP.

    Those who later stopped Abiola from assuming the presidency in 1993 would have made it impossible for him get the SDP ticket if they knew or rather suspected that his candidacy was going to enjoy overwhelming support among Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic and religious differences. Abiola they thought was going to be a pushover and Tofa, the NRC flag bearer and their preferred choice for the presidency was going to brush him aside at the polls. Not even the smear campaigns and the enormous dirt thrown at Abiola were enough to diminish his standing before Nigerians. They voted for him en mass as their president, but the enemies of Nigeria did not allow them have their say.   The June 12, 1993 election was annulled.

    In the run up to that election, there were calls by some subversive elements, with covert support from the military rulers of the day, for the postponement of that election. You remember Abimbola Davies and Arthur Nzeribe and their Association for Better Nigeria (ABN)? Justice Ikpeme, I think, who granted their request for the election not to hold shortly before the D Day?

    Listening to Jonathan’s National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki calling on INEC to postpone the February 2015 general elections reminds one of that era. Why on earth did he make that call? And why go to London to say it? When Nzeribe and Davies began their move to stop the 1993 presidential election we did not take them serious. We thought they were mere busy bodies. But to our tragic surprise they were dead serious.

    Now that Dasuki is flying the same kite we would be foolish to ignore him or simply condemn him. Dasuki is not an ordinary person in Nigeria; he is a very high ranking member of the Jonathan administration. I do not think that he would open his mouth and say something without clearance from his boss. I believe the hand that we are seeing is that of Esau while the voice is distinctively Jacob’s.

    As gladdening as the reassurances of INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega and President Jonathan on the February elections being sacrosanct, Nigerians should still be circumspect as we were offered similar assurances in the run up to the June 12, 1993 election. We all knew what happened. For even toying with or thinking of that idea, Dasuki ought to have been fired by now. But we all know this would never happen as our president is not the type that can call his men to order or punish/fire them when they act against the interest of the nation. Examples abound of such untouchables in his government; Deziani Madueke, Abba Moro et al.

    Calling for the postponement of the general election on the flimsy excuse that the Permanent Voters Card had not been fully distributed to the electorate constitutes a threat to state security. Both Dasuki and his boss know this.  Such calls could leads to a chain of events that could culminate into a crisis especially if it was heeded. We all knew what happened when the 1993 election was not allowed to run its course.

    Instead of dabbling into issues that are outside his competence, Dasuki should devote his time and energy to making all parts of the country, including the northeast region safe for the conduct of general elections next month. He should leave INEC to worry about how to get the remaining PVCs to those Nigerians yet to collect theirs. I hope nobody is going to act on his call or listen to others like him equally clamouring for a postponement of the polls. Let the elections go ahead as scheduled.

    On the current smear campaign by the PDP against General Buhari, I think it is just uncalled for as it will only make him more popular, just like what Chief Tom Ikimi and his NRC did their campaign against Chief Abiola in 1993. Like I said earlier; as it was with Abiola’ Hope ’93 in terms of wide appeal among Nigerians; so it is with Buhari’s Change campaign. This is a movement for change that cuts across all segments of the Nigerian society.

    Nigerians want a change for the better and it seems Buhari represents our best hope for that change now. We should not be sentimental about the issue. Six years of Jonathan have not brought the desired change, and another four years for him could just be a waste of time which the country cannot afford. If he had done well, nobody would be talking about Buhari today. That is the truth.

     

    NB: After a well deserved vacation, I am happy to be back on the beat.

     

     

  • June 12: Abiola’s unfinished ‘presidential’ lodge

    June 12: Abiola’s unfinished ‘presidential’ lodge

    Presidential, royal and rotting. Twenty-one years after the dream was conceived, MKO Abiola’s palatial home at the serene and cosy part of Ibara GRA, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, still remains a dream, begging to be fulfilled. ERNEST NWOKOLO reports

    Looking at the edifice from beyond the gigantic gates, one would almost have the impression of a haunted house. The uncompleted building sitting in the prestigious Government Reservation Area (GRA) Ibara Abeokuta looked out of place and shape when compared with other houses in the neighbourhood.

    As one walked through the gates, an eerie feeling took over, partly from a remembrance of the great man who conceived the idea of building for himself a presidential palace and from the fear of the unknown as one enters into the building.

    Inside the building was dark as light only penetrated through the open or leaking portion of the roof. There are many staircases leading to the various rooms in the house forming a labyrinth which some people say was designed to confuse any stranger who gained access into the building without authorisation.

    But there are more shocking revelation inside this magnificent building. As one progressed from one part of the house to the other, sound of birds singing above the cellar could be heard, bats hung from several pillars and many other reptiles found a safe haven hiding in one of its many corners.

    Welcome to the presidential palace of late businessman and acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993, Presidential election, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola. The building which was conceived to serve as Abiola’s personal Presidential lodge upon assumption of office as the President after the historic election, has multiple rooms aside a unit within it said be designed for his wife, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, who was assassinated in 1996.

    The sitting room is fit to host a gathering of about 1000 persons at a time and the heavily padded concrete pillars supporting the structure shows that the late politician might have had an ambition to erect a building that could withstand intense shock or stress such as shelling.

    It was expected, according to a source, to have a sort of Helipad atop for landing of helicopters and the construction had gone well with speed as the building firm hurried to meet the delivery date slated ahead of the envisaged swearing in of Abiola as President of Nigeria in 1993.

    But following the annulment of the poll, the arrest of Abiola after the famous Epetedo declaration, the contractor pulled out of site and had not returned till date.

    A tour around it, reveals various degrees of degeneration, and buffeted by the elements all year round in the last two decades, the decking leaks whenever it rains just as the steel materials also rust away.

    Ironically, every June 12, pro – democracy groups, rights organisations and particularly, the Ogun State government, have made it a ritual to remember the late politician and business magnate for his tortuous struggle and sacrificial death that ushered in the current democracy and the attendant  freedom being savoured today by most Nigerians.

    But during such memorials, no thought is ever spared on how to put life to Abiola’s dream house.

    About eight years ago, the premise was overtaken by weeds and shrubs that dwarfed the entire structure. It was also a common site for some youths who routinely hunt alligator lizards, while a section of it serves as shelter for lunatic couples until they were forcibly ejected by the late politician’s family.

    Today, the weeds appeared relatively subdued by Mr Kamoru Akindele who now lives there with his family.

    Akindele, a staff of the Ogun State Housing Corporation, told The Nation that he has been living in the premises free of charge in the last eight years with the permission of Abiola’s family.

    He said Kola, Abiola’s first son does visit the place occasionally, and would look at the decaying structure for some minutes before taking his leave.

    According to him, there is still hope that Kola would one day rally his brothers and sisters to salvage what is left of the once envisaged Presidential House.

    A year ago, Abiola’s younger brother, Alhaji Musibau Abiola, told The Nation that the building is so gigantic that a single individual may not be able to provide the fund required for its completion, and noted that perhaps only government’s help – be it federal or state may salvage the situation.

    Musibau said then that the sorry state of the abandoned construction was a source of worry and discomfort to the family, lamenting that it was also one of the many losses and setbacks they had been contending with since the aborted June 12, 1993 polls and subsequent death of his brother.

    Even two prominent Ogun State indigenes – former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, recently acknowledged the huge sacrifice Abiola paid for Nigeria.

    An observer who is knowledgeable about the  property, told The Nation that it would require over N60m to rehabilitate or complete the  building excluding the cost of fittings.

    The observer who does not want his name in print, said there is nothing wrong in the state government taking it upon itself to put the structure in the right shape, and also turning it to a five – star hotel before  handing it over to Abiola’s family.

    He said this would be one valuable way to honour Abiola by the state government and thus save the late philanthropist’s name from the embarrassment and painful memory the continued sight of the forlorn dream building evokes in passers-by.

    On June 12 this year, state government and family of  late business magnate and politician, held a prayer session to mark the 21st anniversary of the 1993 Presidential election won by Abiola but annulled by the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida.

    During the one hour prayer session in Abiola’s family house, Abeokuta, prayers were held for the continued peaceful repose of his soul. Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun described Abiola as the initiator of Nigeria’s present democracy and someone who would have gladly pitch his tent with the progressives.

    Amosun, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Taiwo Adeoluwa, said were Abiola to be alive today, he would surely have been a chieftain in the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    The governor noted that the late politician would also have joined the progressives at the recently concended National Convention of the All Progressives Congress in Abuja because he would have be a member of the party.

    He said the good people of Ogun State are happy and proud that Abiola hailed from the state and also the second elected civilian president of the country even though he was not installed.

    According to him, Nigerians should learn from the lesson June 12 symbolises, that free, fair and credible election should be encouraged by all for a better society.

    He said  Abiola would be cringing in his grave following the growing insecurity and the attendant challenges,  charging the Nigerian government to do more in tackling it.

    For Mr Jamiu Abiola, one of the children of the late politician, the federal government should make the lives of Nigerians comfortable and create an environment where citizens can feel free and safe to realise their potentials.

    According to Jamiu, his father fought, sacrificed and even died to better the lots of the masses of Nigerians.

    Also, Tudun Abiola, the late politician’s daughter, said that her father was a kind man who gave without expectation of getting back adding that he would have been a credible leader for Nigeria.

    “I think what really matters is to honour and remember him every day, we cannot have a man like that who had fulfilled his purpose for his generation and we fail to honour him, those who want to forget him are deceiving themselves, trying to deny what cannot be denied, I want people to remember him for his sacrifice.”

    A member of the government told The Nation last the week that the issue of Abiola’s uncompleted building is not as simple as it seemed, saying in any case, there is perhaps no formal request for state’s intervention in respect of the structure.

    The source who begged to be left out of the matter, said the family, however, have options.

    According to him, the building could be given out for public use such as library, it could also be donated to a charity organisation or given to a developer to complete it on an agreed term.

    He explained that the only time the government may come in uninvited, and perhaps take possession, is if the building constitutes a risk to humans, especially if it has become structurally weakened with a likelihood of a part or all of it crumbling down on people unannounced.

    The source said, the government in that situation can justifiably take possession, possibly flatten the structure to safeguard public safety.

  • June 12: activists, groups call for regionalism

    ACTIVISTS and ethnic groups in Yoruba land, yesterday used the occasion of June 12 to call for restructuring of Nigeria to allow regionalism and strengthening of institutions that will enhance development. They made the call at a colloquium marking the 21st anniversary of the June 12, 1993 election. The election is widely believed to have been won by the late business mogul and politician, Chief Moshood Abiola. The programme, which was organized by the Afenifere Renewal Group and the Yoruba Academy, was held at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan. In his keynote address entitled: “The I operatives of June 12 and its Implication on Yoruba Politics,” Comrade Femi Aborisade posited that as lofty as the idea of regionalism sounds, the plagues of corruption and bad leadership will still neutralize the idea of regionalism if they are not addressed. According to him, Yoruba need to re-orientate the new generation on the values of honesty, hard work, respect and selfless service, among others, for regionalism to bring the desired benefits. He emphasized that the June 12 symbolizes freedom from tyranny and poverty, but that the oppressors repressed the will of Nigerians. Other speakers including Chief Dapo Ologundudu Chief Adekunle Olaiya if the Atayese Group, Reformed Agbekoya Group and the Oodua Liberation Movement as well as Prince Adetowo Aderemi opined that the current crop of leaders in Southwest cannot take Yoruba to the promised land. Earlier in his welcome address, the Director of Publicity, (ARG), Mr Kunle Famoriyo, pointed out the need for Yoruba to pursue the lessons of June 12 having talked about it for 10 years. The communique issued at the end of the colloquium noted that “Nigerian state, as it is presently structured, has only succeeded in entrenching fault-lines that make the constituent ethnic nations see themselves as enemies rather than state partners. This makes the task of nation- building almost impossible; thus Nigeria today can best be described as a predatory state.”

  • Photo: June 12 lecture in Lagos

    Photo: June 12 lecture in Lagos

    AWAKE NIGERIA MOVEMENT IN A PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATION DURING JUNE 12 LECTURE IN LAGOS ON THURSDAY (12/6/14).
    AWAKE NIGERIA MOVEMENT IN A PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATION DURING JUNE 12 LECTURE IN LAGOS ON THURSDAY (12/6/14).