Missing links in June 12 celebrations

M. K. O. Abiola Is June 12 all about jives and rhetoric? asks Kunle Oderemi in this recap on the recent 16th anniversary of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.

BUSINESS mogul, Chief M. K. O. Abiola, is no more. But his imprint on the sands of time remains indelible. One of his most eloquent legacies was June 12 1993 election which he reportedly won and which had become a historic day for the country. It has become a sort of ritual to commemorate the day with kaleidoscopic events.

The 2009 edition was no exception as groups and individuals who shared the ideals of June 12 converged on various places to reflect on the essence of arguably the most tragic event in the political history of the nation.

However, certain questions still agitate the minds of the discernible section of the populace on the celebration of June 12. What is indeed the significance of June 12? Is it all about semantics and grandstanding by some politicians and activists? Or does June 12 afford some politicians with waning influence to seek relevance by repackaging themselves? How have most of the apostles of June 12 who managed to occupy political office so far tangentially sustained and ingrained the ideals of June 12 in the system? How have they encouraged and nurtured internal democracy in the land?

It is difficult to say if the countenance, messages and actions of many of those who partook in June 12 celebrations last Friday tried to provide answers to these teasers. Nonetheless, some of the personalities were conscious that many politicians are yet to appreciate the import of what has become an annual ritual since the demise of the symbol of June 12 and return to civil rule in 1999. From Lagos to Ogun down to Ekiti and Ondo states, there were wide ranging events like rallies, processions and book presentations to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the election. In far away Plateau State, the pioneer national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Solomon Lar, took a retrospective view of the freest election which was annulled by the military regime of former President Ibrahim Babangida. Lar had featured on a network programme of the Plateau State radio and television as activities marking June 12 peaked.

He said, “M. K. O. Abiola is dead. He needs to be declared winner of that election. He is believed to have won that election. Let the results be released so as to put the electoral records straight in this country.”

For the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, the nation has only witnessed a cosmetic change in the political arena “since the annulment of June 12 about 16 years ago.”

Akeredolu expressed the belief that the future of the country is hazy, unless Nigerians resolve to assert their rights.

“The future is bleak. But it looks to me that the need is there for us to make an omelette. And if we are desirous of making an omelette, then, we must be prepared to break an egg.

“If since June 12, 1993, up till now, we are to have what we can call a credible election in Nigeria, then we have learnt nothing,” he said.

A second republic governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, corroborated the view, asserting that it was regrettable that the nation was still groping in the dark on the need for an electoral system that can stand the test of time.

“June 12 demonstrated the desire of Nigerians to have a legitimate government for the country through a free and fair election. But have our leaders learnt any lesson from this?” he queried. The pre-eminence of Lagos in the politics of the nation characterised the June 12 anniversary. Most of the events for the 16th edition were held in different parts of the metropolis. In some places, it was a gathering of the lost generation of dyed-in-the wool June 12 followers, who for one reason or another, at a stage, were forced into the background during the struggle. A former top shot of the pan-Yoruba organisation, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Opadokun; renowned economist and former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Professor Pat Utomi, and others, converged under the platform of the June 12 Coalition Group to commemorate the day and their position was that no one can obliterate June 12 from Nigeria’s history and the fond memories of Nigerians about the election.

Perhaps, the most instructive message on this year’s celebration came from the erudite scholar and master of satire, Professor Adebayo Williams. He dwelt extensively on various issues surrounding the criminal annulment in his paper entitled, Varieties of Annulment, which he delivered to commemorate the day. It was his opinion that the nation had not been able to enthrone a true democracy since 1993 and raised fears over the manner the Federal Government was treating the report of the Electoral Reform Committee.

He noted that the annulment of the June 12 1993 election had many serious implications for the country and the political system.

He asserted that, “once a country misses the right track, it will continue to go deeper into a pariah state. The 2007 election was a continuation of the 1993 annulment.”

No doubt, there was a tinge of controversy in the celebration in some respects. For example, a former president of the Nigeria Labour congress (NLC), Mr. Pascal Bafyau, tried to fly a kite on why the military annulled the poll. He said the annulment was because Abiola reneged on alleged pact he had with the military.

Many have said there was nothing new about Bafyau’s claim as some anti-June 12 elements had tried to sell a similar dummy to the populace at the climax of the struggle for the de-annulment of the election.

Another curious twist to the June 12 anniversary was the message by the former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu, to President Umaru Yar’Adua, asking him to restore the mandate of the winner of the poll. He wants the president to officially declare Abiola as the winner of the election.

Similar appeals were rife during the era of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Yet, authorities ignored all of them. Then, will the present president do Tinubu’s bidding since he is a key beneficiary of the annulment? This is besides the fact that the president belongs to the conservative bloc that sees June 12 as an anathema. Tinubu’s call on the present National Assembly to declare June 12 a national public holiday is also bound to stir another public discourse on the level of appreciation of the role and inputs of Abiola in the struggle that culminated in members of the legislature attaining their current status. The reality is that moneybags have hijacked the political space from committed democrats. The former do not see elective or appointive office as a call to service, but an opportunity to share the ‘cake.’

There is also a growing concern on the absence of a realistic institutional framework to immortalise Abiola. Many believe that, given his numerous contributions to the growth and development of the nation, he deserves to be honoured with a foundation named in his memory in the mould of the Ford Foundation and other international organisations involved in humanitarian services.

Somehow, friends and political associates of Abiola are playing the ostrich over the state of his investments and the acrimony in his family. While alive, Abiola himself was a peacemaker, who would make sacrifices in order to reconcile with a foe.