June 12, 1993: Of the Braves and the Malefactors

June 12, 1993: Of the Braves and the Malefactors

By Oluwaseyi Oduyela

Truth be told that I do not regard MKO Abiola as the hero of the June 12, 1993, election, I have maintained this position, and I will go to my grave with it.

Why don’t I regard MKO as hero or symbol of democracy? It’s because he was not. I know this will offend a lot of people, but I have the right to my opinion, and I stand by it. Most people sing Abiola’s praises now, idolize him and gave him the attribute of hope bearer, the symbol of democracy and so on. Their reason is that he was arrested and detained by Abacha and he eventually died in detention. Because he died in custody as the winner of the June 12 election, to some people has washed away all Abiola’s sins. I think this is arbitrary and misplaced.

Let’s say Baba Gana Kingibe had won the election, and it was annulled, or it was Alhaji Lateef Jakande, would MKO Abiola have fought, would Kudirat Abiola have fought for June 12?

I remember that before MKO decided to jump into the race, Musa YarAdua, Otunba Biyi Durojaiye and a couple of politicians contested and Babangida canceled their elections, he even banned them. That was undemocratic, but Abiola did not protest. No, he didn’t. Instead, he appealed to Nigerians to support Babangida.

Now, I know some won’t like to talk about Abiola’s pasts and how he has benefitted from successive military regimes in Nigeria and how he has worked to undermine some of our symbols of democracy- Chief Awolowo.

Abiola’s establishment of Concord Newspaper was not because of his love for informing the public. He set up Concord as a political weapon against Awolowo. It was Abiola who bribed Pa Awolowo’s Assistant to obtain Dideolu Estate document and which was eventually published in the Concord Newspaper to discredit Awolowo as a Social Welfarist. If you talk about Obasanjo’s past, Buhari’s past, Abiola should not get a pass.

For 25 years, Nigerians, I mean poor Nigerians have been celebrating MKO as the hero of June 12 with little or no reference to those poor Nigerians who died from the soldiers bullet fighting, protesting the annulment of the election. No one remembers the six-year-old girl who died in Ojota Lagos from a stray bullet.

We have become a people who worship status; the ruling class has killed our sense of dignity and humanity that we always look down on ourselves and praise those who contributed to the misery we live. While poor people were dying on the streets of Ife, Ibadan, Lagos and everywhere, facing soldier bullets, Abiola’s children were away, some of them abroad; in fact, MKO himself was out of the country. None of MKO children led the demonstrations; none was sighted at any of the rallies.

Some of us lost friends, sisters, brothers, children. The 6-year-old girl that died in Ojota would have been 31 years this year, probably a mother and wife but the wickedness of Babangida and Abacha both good friends of Abiola cut that innocent life short.

So why you celebrate Abiola as your symbol of democracy, I honor those whose lives were cut short while fighting for June 12, they are the forgotten, the unsung heroes of our freedom.

Does it matter if Buhari declared June 12 democracy day? No, it doesn’t because with or without government recognition Nigerians mark June 12 every year for 25 years.

And why is it not possible to think that Buhari did it for political reason? Buhari came to power in 2015, in 2016, 2017 he didn’t talk about June 12, he did not remember Bola Ige, why now?

When people raise issues from this, I think it is legitimate and dismissing their concern is unfair. If we can read political innuendos to Obasanjo’s actions why, not to Buhari’s declarations? Was sleeping, is he just waking up?

As I remember those who died defending June 12, I also remember the man who made it possible for Nigerians to talk of June 12.  Days before the election, we saw signs that Babangida was planning to cancel the election. One man stood for June 12, he fought for that day and ensured Nigerians voted. This man was Professor Humphrey Nwosu. If Nwosu had not conducted the election, we wouldn’t remember this election. Professor Nwosu presided over the freest and fairest election in the history of Nigeria and my Yoruba brothers and sisters only talk of a man who only benefitted from the effort of Professor Humphrey Nwosu.

It is an uncontested fact that if Nwosu had announced the postponement of the election due to logistics reasons, there wouldn’t help a messianic Abiola. Nwosu, with minimal funding, organized the election, using make shifts, primary schools and came out with the best election ever in the history of Nigeria. But why, why are we so silent about Professor Nwosu’s indelible contribution to the success of the most successful election in our history?

Giving Buhari credit for declaring June 12 as democracy day is ludicrous. June 12 does not need Buhari’s recognition; it is more significant than Buhari than Obasanjo than Abiola and anybody.

In conclusion, Abiola did not believe in any democratic values; he did not run for the 1993 election because he wanted to take anyone to the promised land. Abiola made his money doing business with the government. He said that in an interview after the annulment of the election that he ran because Babangida promised him more than three times that he will leave in 1993. He said he would not have run if Babangida had not assured him of handing over power. That isn’t democratic value, becoming Nigeria’s president was a means to an end for Abiola. He did not run for the people; he can consolidate his economic power with political power. It was his long-time ambition, and that was why he financed the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in 1979.

May the blood of those who died defending June 12 on the streets water our tree of freedom, may their souls find peace in the LORD.