After more than three decades the historic June 12 presidential election which was believed to have been won by the business mogul and billionaire, Chief MKO Abiola, was annulled, the ghost of the election has refused to finally leave the Nigeria’s political firmament.
June 12, 1993 has become an important date in Nigeria’s political history. It was a day Nigerians shook off their primordial sentiment of religion and ethnicity and voted for the candidate of their choice. Sadly heir wishes were subverted by a military fiat. The annulment of the election sounded a death knell on the Third Republic.
By the time the military relinquished power in 1999 after a long struggle for democracy, the day fell on May 29. Until June 6, 2018, when the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, declared June 12 as the new Democracy Day, Nigerians had been observing the Democracy on May 29. Keen political watchers saw it as a deft political decision by former President Buhari which aligned with many years of agitation by pro-democracy activists.
According to political watchers, the day as a public holiday was not only significant, but also it commemorates the events of the day of the presidential election in 1993 where results indicated a win for MKO Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), against Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC). Abiola was never declared winner as the then Head Of State General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida annulled the polls citing irregularities.
To underscore how important it was, Buhari made this poignant statement six years ago, when the day was officially recognized, “June 12, 1993, was the day when Nigerians in millions expressed their democratic will in what was undisputedly the freest, fairest and most peaceful election since our independence.
The fact that the outcome of that election was not upheld by the then military government does not distract from the democratic credentials of that process. Accordingly, after due consultations, the federal government has decided that henceforth, June 12 will be celebrated as Democracy Day.” Buhari said.
Nigerians believe that the significance of the day goes beyond the declaration as Democracy Day. They believe that it was the first presidential elections after the military coup of 1983 which brought General Buhari to power. Ironically, it was Buhari as civilian president that came to recognize the day as Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
Many Nigerians also hold the view that the June 12 election remains the freest and most peaceful election since Nigeria’s independence in 1960. The counting process of the elections by the National Electoral Commission had revealed a victory for MKO Abiola.
There were indications then that Abiola had already won 19 out of the 30 states, and the Federal Capital Territory
However, the elections were annulled by Ibrahim Babaginda and no winner was officially declared. The annulment led to political unrest and several protests erupted across the country.
In June 1994, Abiola declared himself the President and Commander-in-Chief. For this audacity, he was then arrested and charged with treason by the military junta of General Sanni Abacha. Abiola’s confinement precipitated political crisis and protests against the government of General Abacha. On July 7, 1998, Abiola died while in detention on the day he was supposed to be released.
Before President Buhari’s declaration, June 12 used to be celebrated as “Abiola Day” mostly in the five Southwest states of Nigeria as a remembrance of MKO Abiola’s denied presidency. The governors of those ataete would declare public holiday for it commemoration.
As part of the efforts made by President Buhari to honour June 12, Chief MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the presidential election was posthumously awarded the highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) while his running mate, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe and the late human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi SAN, who was in the forefront of the revalidation of the election, were all awarded the second highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Niger (GCON).
The lessons of June 12
According to a legal practitioner, Mr Abiodun Ajibade who spoke with Africa Health Report, (AHR), on the phone, it is a clear indication that Nigerians could come together if they really wanted to.
In his words, “The event of June 12 is an eloquent testimony to the fact that we can all cast aside our sentiment and come together to build this country. On the June 12, 1993, Nigerians demonstrated togetherness, unity of purpose and commitment to chase the military away and usher in democracy without any rancour.”
Another person who also spoke with the newspaper, Dr Majeed Saliu, a lecturer in the Department of Economics, Ekiti State University, noted that Nigerian government should learn from the June 12 debacle.
According to the don, “whoever fails to learn from history is doomed to repeat it. Our democracy should never be toyed with, especially now that the level of awareness has increased with the advent of the social media. People are now more resilient than they were in 1993. So the county should see June 12 as a lesson to learn from.”
