Those who annulled June 12 should be punished, say Balarabe, Aremu

By AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Kaduna

First democratically elected Governor of old Kaduna State Balarabe Musa and famous Labour leader, Comrade Issa Aremu, have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to go beyond recognising June 12 as democracy day and investigate the annullment of the election.

They argued those who annulled the June 12, 1993 election were responsible for the many challenges facing Nigeria and must not get away with it.

The duo spoke during Democracy Day celebration at Balarabe Musa’s home in Kaduna.

They those found culpable of annulling the election should be punished.

Musa, while commending President Buhari for surprising the nation by honouring MKO Abiola, said the President should complete the task he started by investigating the circumstances leading to the annullment of June 12, those responsible for the annullment and punish them effectively to prevent future occurence.

He said: “If President Muhammadu Buhari does not go further and do this, anybody can do same thing like Babangida who annuled June 12 and got away with it; up till now, he (Babangida) is getting away it. We must make sure that does not happen.

“We must also do something fundamental, that is changing the, socio-economic and political and cultural system controlling all development kin this country.

Read Also: June 12: Immortalising Abiola not enough, says Falana

“And the way we can effectively do it is by making sure that, Nigeria embarks on socialist reconstruction of Nigeria, starting with the leading role of the economy, to ensure equality, justice, dignity of human and progressive development.”

Aremu said the public apology tendered by Buhari to Nigerians and family of MKO Abiola over the annullment was a verbal punishment of those who annulled the election.

He said Abiola earned a deserved posthumous honour President Buhari conferred on him last year and the National Stadium Abuja remanned after the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, considering he was the pillar of sport of Africa.

He however said honoring Chief MKO however calls for more than renaming monument but deepening democracy he fought and died for.

According to him: “We must democratise the public space and rescue the country from the total capture and dominance of few unaccountable self serving ruling elite”. We must eradicate poverty as envisioned by Abiola.

“There is what I call “insufficiency in democratic practices” among the politicians that is worsening the crisis of governance in the country. Security and economic challenges can only be overcome if ordinary people are involved in governance.”