By Emmanuel Gandu
HIGHLIGHTS
@ Nigerians overwhelmingly voted for a Muslim – Muslim ticket
@ Abiola defeated Tofa in Kano
@ Babangida was pushed out by June 12
@ Abacha died because of June 12
@ Abiola died because of June 12
@ Kudirat Abiola died because of June 12
@ Over 100 Nigerians were gunned down because of June 12
@ June 12 ushered in the beginning of mass protests against dictatorship in Nigeria
@ The reaction of the International community
INTRODUCTION
June 12, 1993, is the day Nigerians went to the polls to vote for a civilian president of their choice. In that election, both the presidential and vice-presidential candidates were Muslims. A Yoruba Muslim Moshood Kashimowo Olawale Abiola and Borno Muslim Baba Gana Kingibe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) were elected.
The rival party of the National Republican Convention (NRC) had Alhaji Bashir Tofa, a Muslim from Kano with Sylvester Ugoh a Christian Igbo were defeated.
THE FACTS OF JUNE 12
(1) Abiola won the election with 8,341,309 million (58.36%) votes, while Bashir Tofa trailed behind with 5,952,087 million (41.64%) votes.
(2) Abiola won in 19 out of the 30 states and the FCT, while Tofa won in only 11 states.
(3) Abiola won in Kano state, he won in bothTofa’s ward and polling unit.
(4) The June 12, 1993, election is adjudged to be the best organized, the most credible, free, fair, and most acceptable by a majority of Nigerians and international observers.
June 12 election remains the best ever in the history of Nigeria.
(5) On June 10, just two days to the election, one chief Arthur Nzeribe and his Association for a Better Nigeria (ABN) obtained a high court injunction against holding the election on the basis of alleged corruption. The election however proceeded after another injunction vacating the ABN’s.
(6) Head of State General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida annulled the June 12 election on 24th June, 1993 citing issues of vote buying.
(7) Abiola won all the states of the South West, five of the nine Northern states including Kano, three of the seven states in the South East, and also four out of the seven states in the Central Middle Belt.
(8) National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) led widespread protests across the country against the annulment of the June 12 election.
(9) United States of America, the UK, and the European Union reacted to the annulment by suspending aid to Nigeria.
(10) The Commonwealth condemned the annulment.
(11) The Military Junta proscribed, shut down media houses, and arrested journalists.
(12) MKO Abiola fled to London and Washington to seek international support for actualising his presidency.
(13) Due to mounting domestic and international pressure, Gen Ibrahim Babangida, popularly known as Maradona resigned (step aside) from being Head of State and Commander In Chief on 26th August, 1993.
(14) Chief Ernest Shonekan was installed as head of an Interim National Government, While General Sani Abacha who was the then Chief of Army Staff was left behind as the Defense Minister.
(15) General Sani Abacha toppled Chief Ernest Shonekan on 17th November, 1993 in a place coup, and made Abiola’s running mate Baba Gana Kingibe as foreign Minister.
(16) Abiola declared himself as president, and was consequently arrested, and charged of treason on June 14 1994.
(17) Abacha died on 8th June, 1998.
(18) Abiola died in detention on 7th July, 1998.
(19) Kudirat Abiola was murdered during the struggle for the actualisation of June 12, her husband’s mandate.
(20) General Abdulsalami Abubakar took over and assumed the leadership of the Government of Nigeria as Head of state.
(21) General Olusegun Obasanjo who had been accused of treasonable felony and put in prison
in Jos by General Sani Abacha was released from prison by General Abdulsalami Abubakar.
(22) General Abdulsalami Abubakar hurriedly constituted a National Electoral Commission (NEC) with the mandate of organizing general elections within one year. At the end of that election, General Abdulsalami Abubakar handed over power to the winner President Olusegun Obasanjo of the PDP on 29th May, 1999.
(23) General Abdulsalami Abubakar therefore made history as the only military general incumbent Head of State in the world to rule, organize elections, and handover to a democratically elected president all within one year.
General Abdulsalami Abubakar therefore moved General Olusegun Obasanjo from prison to presidency.
(24) It is estimated that security forces during the Babangida and Abacha’s junta killed :
a. Over 100 innocent supporters of June 12.
b. Some journalists and NADECO members were killed, many disappeared/went underground.
c. A lot more ran out of Nigeria.
d. Others are unaccounted for since then even up to this day.
CONCLUSION
Since June 12, 1993 when the military generals murdered democracy, Nigeria is yet to find her right footing. The ghost of Abiola and June 12 is still haunting Nigeria.
Events and half baked measures put in place by successive administration don’t seem to work towards the stability of Nigeria.
The country keeps drifting from bad to worst as she is now at the brink. The political class have since taken over the baton from the juntas of the military generals, they are holding Nigeria hostage and things have continued to fall apart.
It therefore remains to be seen whether the country will retrace its political steps to exhume and appease the ‘gods’ of June 12, or continue to deny the collective will of the Nigerian people by watching this country drift and inch loser to the brink.
Time will tell.
Peace ? June 12, 2021
