June 12 every year is marked in some western states of Nigeria as public holiday in honour of Chief MKO Abiola whose election of 1993 was annulled by the Babangida administration. The election held on June 12 was adjudged to be free and fair. The winning ticket of Social Democratic Party was widely accepted by Nigerians irrespective of religious or tribal inclinations. The presidential and vice preseidential candidates for SDP were both muslims. Nobody cared about that or whether MKO is a yoruba man. Nigerians wanted a change and see the leadership desired in Abiola-Kingibe ticket.
Another characteristic of the June 12 election that was commendable is the introduction of Option A-4 by the National Electoral Commission under the leadership of Prof. Humphrey Nwosu. Option A-4 requires that voters queue behind the candidate of their choice. This is to ensure that the level of electoral irregularities are reduced to the very minimum. Although days before the elction there was efforts made by some people to thwart the elections but the NEC stood firmly by their resolve to conduct a credible election. Part of these antagonising forces include Chief Arthur Nzeribe's Association for Better Nigeria which took the election tocourt with the purpose of stopping its conduct.
After the election, the
military government abruptly halted the counting, collation and
announcement of the election results even though 14 states have been announced and Abiola was taking the lead. By the same order Prof. Nwosu
was kept under house arrest.This action created a lot of tension across the nation. Ten days later, on June 23, 1993, the June 12
election was annulled by the Babangida administration.
When General Ibrahim Babangida addressed the nation on June 26, 1993, he said; “There were allegations of irregularities and
other acts of bad conduct levelled against the presidential candidates
but NEC went ahead and cleared them. There were proofs as well as
documented evidence of widespread use of money during the party
primaries as well as the presidential election. These were the same bad
conduct for which the party presidential primaries of 1992 were
cancelled.”
These were flimsy excuses given to annulled the election. It goes to show that the annulment was a premeditated event and a part of a long list of action which was to stop the emergency of democracy so that the military can perpetuate itself in office.
The June 12 saga was a unique event but when we hear discussions surrounding it, it was like Abiola was the saviour of Nigeria. It was seen as if the plot was solely targetted against Abiola. Even though he paid the supreme price in the struggle, was annulment of June 12 election only about Abiola or about truncating democracy?
In my opinion, irrespective of whoever it was that won the June 12, 1993 presidential elections, the election would still have been annulled looking at the events that happened before, during and after the election. The main aim of the military junta was to prevent Nigeria from going into democracy. If we can recall, the date for return to democracy was shifted many times by the military government, meaning that there was no true intention to get Nigeria into democracy.
However, I decided to look at the issue from another angle. If June 12 election was not annulled, what will Nigeria be like today? Perhaps there would not have been a Shonekan and an interim governemnt in Nigerian history. An Abacha government which was tyranical and terrorised Nigerians from all across the nation would not have existed and billions of naira would not have been stolen. There would not have been an Abdulsalam who, in the course of returning Nigeria to democracy, squandered our foreign reserve.
The fouth republic would not have been there with an Obasanjo or the sickly and now dead, Umaru Yar'adua. And also our shoesless fisherman from south-south would not have been president. Perhaps Nigeria would have been in a better state than it is now. Maybe we might not been shouting on our dear President Jonathan that he is clueless and in slow motion.
Maybe GSM would have come six years earlier and our epileptic NEPA would have been working well and electricity will be constant. Perhaps, all our roads will be motorable and railway transportation running smoothly. Niger Delta may not have boiled due to neglect and we won't have had miscreants like Dokubo, Tompolo and the militants. Maybe the north-east have been well developed and Boko Haram would not have had jobless and poverty striken youths to recruit. maybe, maybe, maybe....
All these are wishes. It is human character to always think that event would have turn in a different way than it is if something else had happened.The Abiola we are all praising and eulogizing today, does he not have his own hidden agenda? Many will make reference to his philantropy as a yardstick to judge what he might do as president of Nigeria, is philantropy equal to good leadership? We have heard of his sexual escapades and having children from so many different women who were not his wives, is that a sign of responsibility? In what way is that different from an Abacha who was purported have "eaten apple from Indian ladies", or our Baba accused of sleeping with his son's wife.
Many people have said stories, although unconfirmed, of Abiola's idiosyncracies, do those qualify him as being different from the others? Did it ever occur to us that Nigeria may have been worse under Abiola? Did it ever occur to us that Abiola may have gone into alliance with some nations which may not mean well to our nation? Is it not possible for Abiola to sign some treaties which may have kept Nigeria under bondage? Would Abiola have been more tolerant of opposition than other governments we have had? During Abiola's government is it possible that we may not have seen the kind of Ghana-must-go politics we see these days, putting in mind the amount of money that exchange hands during 1993 election?
I am not in anyway castigating the late Chief Abiola. I am not saying he is not worthy of the memory and remembrance he is getting. I am not saying the man who paid the supreme price for the achievemnet of democracy should not be immortalised. I admire his courage for standing by his mandate even unto death. Very few will do that, even his vice presidential candidate reneged.
What I saying is that we should not exalt Abiola as if he is the saviour of Nigeria, as if since Abiola did not become president Nigeria cannot make it again under another person, as if Abiola may be entirely different from the others, although that is what was expected. Abiola is a president we never had as a country but Abiola is not the only president we could have had.
Celebration and remembrance of June 12 should be about democracy and not about Abiola alone. Many people have misdirected this unique occasion. June 12 will make more meaning if we look at it from the point if what and how our democracy will look like.
God bless Nigeria
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