As Nigeria marks Democracy Day on the 32nd anniversary of the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, certain contemporary issues evoke the memories of the Farewell to Poverty mantra of the winner of the election, the Chief MKO Abiola, reports KUNLE ODEREMI.
TOMORROW marks another defining moment in the annals of Nigeria. It will be 32 years after the annulment of what is generally described as the freest, fairest and most credible election in the history of the country. Following the annulment by the military authorities, the country was ostracised by the international community. Concerted efforts were made by a welter of progressive forces to achieve a reversal of the cancellation by the military establishment. The prolonged agitation, which took many forms and shapes, including passive resistance and confrontation with agents of the state armed to the teeth, led to wanton destruction of lives and property. For the business mogul and politician, Chief MKO Abiola, who won the election, the annulment was big blow to his vision and mission for a new dawn in the country. His incarceration and eventual death in the solitary confinement buried his agenda of Farewell to Poverty. His demise torpedoed the mantra of change and marked another missed opportunity for a country that is perpetual flux.
Abiola did not bake the cake of June 12 alone. It was the product of collective action and mission by leading politicians, professionals, pro-democracy and rights activists, as well as other forces determined to herald a new Nigeria. The milestone was achieved by 14 million voters across the length and breadth of the country. Abiola scored 8.3 million of those votes. His opponent, Bashir Tofa of the NRC, scored 5.9 million votes. And more potent forces coalesced into a mass movement after the annulment of the election. Ironically, some elements that played leading roles in the process of birthing June 12 soon sabotaged the victory of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate in the election. Power brokers in the SDP collaborated with the authorities and the establishment to sustain the annulment, initiate a fresh political transition programme. The late fiery lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, stiffly confronted the military establishment by floating his own political party, National Conscience Party (NCP). He defied the ban on politicians from floating their own parties but to join the ones that were tied to the apron of the government. A former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Olisa Agbakoba, was also resolute in the agitation for June 12 de-annulment, in spite of the act of sabotage by some SDP bigwigs in collaboration with agents of the establishment. The undying spirit of the winner of the election while in the solitary confinement served as the veritable tonic for the disciples of June 12. The part played by leaders of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, was legendary, as they galvanised popular support for the cause of June based on justice, equity and fairness.
The NBA stood firm on its demand for the sanctity of the mandate that was freely given to Abiola by the electorate. This was in spite of the act of shenanigans by a few scoundrels in the Bar and the Bench, who profited in the annulment and the attendant crises that engulfed the country. While the rainbow movement called the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) served as the main platform for the bitter and prolonged battle and struggle, oil workers under the aegis of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the National Union of Petroleum and Gas Workers Union (NUPENG) constituted the backbone as the June 12 agitation heightened. Desperate attempts by the authorities to obliterate June 12 are evident in the crackdown on the protagonists led to the incarceration of leaders of PENGASSAN and NUPENG. The media also suffered as the authorities undermined all the laws of the land and forced to resort to gorilla press.
International community
Apart from having heavily invested in industrial and other productive sector of the economy, Abilola had championed the cause for reparation to Africa over dehumanization. His efforts were recognised and appreciated by the international community. For example, the Congressional Black Caucus of the United States of America paid a glowing tribute to Abiola because of his commitment to cause of humanity. The caucus stated: “Because of this man, there is both cause for hope and certainty that the agony and protests of those who suffer injustice shall give way to peace and human dignity.” The caucus added: “The children of the world shall know the great work of this extraordinary leader and his fervent mission to right wrong, to do justice, and to serve mankind. The enemies which imperil the future of generations to come: poverty, ignorance, effects of the valiant work of Chief Abiola. Through him and others like him, never again will freedom rest in the domain of the few. We, the members of the Congressional Black Caucus, salute him this day as a hero in the global pursuit to preserve the history and the legacy of the African Diaspora.”
Farewell to poverty
On the occasion of the June 12 anniversary in 2023, President Bola Tinubu acknowledged the vision Abiola had for the country if he had been allowed to implement his Farewell to Poverty agenda more than three decades ago. The president the democracy Abiola died for is one that promotes the welfare of the people over personal interests of the ruling class and one where the governed can find personal fulfillment and happiness. “That is the hope MKO Abiola ignited throughout our country in 1993.” The president stated. “The democracy that will yield right dividends to the people who are the shareholders means more than just freedom of choice and right to get people into elective offices. It means social and economic justice for our people.” Tinubu, who was among the leaders of NADECO that was forced on exile at the height of the June 12 agitation, said to Abiola, democracy offered the best chance to fight and eliminate poverty. According to the president, Abiola had consequently “christened his campaign manifesto, ‘Farewell to Poverty’ because he was convinced that there is nothing divine about poverty. It is a man-made problem that can be eliminated with clearly thought out social and economic policies.”
A legal luminary and rights crusader, Mr Femi Falana, had decried the rising scale of poverty in the country years after Abiola campaigned against the scourge. Linking it to the different dimensions of insecurity, he recalled that Abiola was passionate about fighting poverty. “Beyond the symbolism of the day, we must look at the significance of the June 12 mandate, having regard to the fact that Abiola’s campaign was anchored on the farewell to poverty. Twenty-six years down the line, can we say our country has said farewell to poverty? On the contrary, poverty is exacerbating in our country and this is what has led to the reckless killings of people. There are bandits in the North West, insurgents in the northeast, kidnappers and armed robbers in all areas of the country,” Falana stated.
Another dogged fighter during the June 12 struggle is a former governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola. In his reflections on the annulment, he had described “those behind the annulment as enemies of Nigeria and the Black race, because the presidency of Abiola would have eradicated poverty in the country.” He noted that a major significance of the annulled June 12 elections was that Abiola wanted poverty to be a thing of the past in Nigeria. “Abiola meant total growth for the common man, that’s why he tagged his manifesto “farewell to poverty. He attempted to banish poverty in all spheres of Nigerian life,” Aregbesola stated. He said it is a pity that the elections adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the history of Nigeria were annulled without any tangible reason. “If Abiola was allowed to rule for just four years, I can bet with anybody that Nigeria would have been a better place today. The truth is that those behind the annulment of that election are the real enemies of the common man in Nigeria. They are also the enemies of growth and development of the country,” he said.
The 32nd anniversary of June 12 tomorrow comes at a time the nation is in the throes of socioeconomic and political crises. Again, elders statesmen, the youth, professionals and activists that represent the true conscience of the nation will join a few top government functionaries to reflect on the annulled poll, its trajectory, missed opportunities and the road to the future.
Prevalent issues today are grinding poverty among the critical mass of the Nigerian population and declining purchasing power of the citizens. Industrial production is at the lowest ebb. The rate of unemployment has assumed a geometric proportion. Security of life and property, once generally taken for granted, has become a major source of concern. Food security has taken a flight; just as the much-trumpeted economic diversification over decades remains slow and less impactful. Yet, all these challenges are not because of the dearth of initiatives and capacity of the people but due to the lack of political will on the part of the entire elites, their rapacious appetite for greed and ego, as well as disregard for the rule of law.
No doubt, the June 12 election has become a watershed in the annals of the country. But when will the leaders walk the talk on the essence of June 12, the bitter and harrowing experience that characterised the aftermath of the annulled election?
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