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Twenty-five years after, questions are still being raised, as to how Nigeria, the biggest democracy in Africa began its ignoble journey to the dark political era that the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election represents in the nation’s political history.
The June 12 election was an attempt to return Nigeria to a democratic path truncated in 1983. On December 31, 1983, the military, led curiously by President Muhammadu Buhari, aborted the second term of former President Shehu Shagari, citing gross electoral misconducts in the election that produced Shagari.
In the bloodless coup, then Major-General Muhammadu Buhari was announced as the Head of State and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces.
But Buhari’s stay in power was short-lived. With the allegation that the Buhari led military regime had no intention of returning power to a democratic government, General Ibrahim Babangida, then Chief of Army Staff to Buhari, seized power in another bloodless coup on August 27, 1985 and soon began a never ending transition to civil rule programme that saw him stay in power for eight years.
After several false declarations, the Babangida led military administration found itself under much pressure from within and outside the country to return power to a democratic government. The military regime eventually set up an electoral body; National Electoral Commission (NEC) under the chairmanship of Professor Humphrey Nwosu to conduct an election that will usher in the much desired democratic government.
Two political parties were registered by NEC: Social Democratic Party (SDP) with Moshood Kashimawo Abiola as the party’s presidential candidate; and National Republican Convention (NRC) with a Kano businessman, Bashiru Tofa, as its flag bearer.
The NEC set June 12, 1993 as the date for the presidential election which was to bring an end to the military regime of Babangida. It was an interesting political era, as the robust electioneering campaigns that followed saw Nigerians troop out to cast their votes. As the results of the votes began to trickle in, it was obvious that Abiola was coasting to victory, as Bashiru Tofa reportedly lost in his ward in Kano, which showed the acceptability of Abiola across the country.
But no sooner had NEC began to announce the result of the election than Babangida declared it annulled. In the annulment speech delivered by Babangida, 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. Evidence available to government put the total amount of money spent by the presidential candidates at over two billion, one hundred million naira.”
The annulment of the June 12 election and several other events that followed, including the installation of a National Interim Government headed by Ernest Shonekan, his forceful removal from office, and another military regime headed by late General Sani Abacha on November 17, 1993 have remained a dark point in Nigeria’s political journey. Since the death of Abacha in office on June 8, followed by that of Abiola while still in detention on July 7, 1998, there have been sustained pressure on successive governments to honour and recognise him as a former president.
Last week, in what seemed a move to sway votes from the southwest, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) re-ignited a fire in the believers in the June 12 struggle.
President Muhammadu Buhari, in addition to declaring June 12 as Nigeria’s Democracy Day, as against May 29, also proposed the conferment, posthumously on MKO Abiola, the highest national honour of GCFR and the honour of GCON on Babagana Kingibe, who was Abiola’s running mate in the election. Buhari announced the government would also be conferring on late human rights activist, Gani Fawehinmi, the honour of GCON for his relentless fight for good governance while alive.
However, beyond the declaration of June 12 as the new Democracy Day, and conferment of the honours on the actors, Nigerians, including the incurable advocates of the June 12 struggle such as human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, Yinka Odumakin, secretary of the Afenifere Renewal Group, say that the government must a go step further.
According Falana and Odumakin the greatest gift and honour that can be done to the memories of MKO Abiola and Gani Fawehinmi, is the conduct of free and fair election come 2019, the guarantee of freedom speech and freedom of association of the citizens, tolerance of opposing views, respect for the rule of law and human rights, which are the ideals of democracy that Abiola and Fawehinmi fought and stood for till death. For them, this is true significance of June 12.
But 25 years down the line, it is interesting that the same personalities who ruled and created the June 12 debacle are still the ones ‘pretending’ to resolve it. Buhari who started the series of military coups that truncated democracy and also led to the annulment of the June 12 elections.
Buhari, also interestingly served under Abacha, the man who detained Abiola, a detention that sent him to his grave and killed any hopes of actualisng the June 12 dream.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is regarded as the greatest beneficiary of the June 12 struggle after emerging president in 1999 but who refused to recognise June 12. Now he is at loggerheads with Buhari, his long-time buddy but now political foe. Ibrahim Babagida, who takes full responsibility for the annulment of June 12 is also actively on the political scene telling Nigerians who to vote and not to vote for.
JOSHUA BASSEY
