THE NATION
The 30th anniversary of June 12, 1993, presidential election is an opportunity to reminisce and honour the memory of the late Chief Moshood Abiola and other fallen martyrs of democracy, as well as to proffer solutions on the way forward. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI reports
Thirty years ago, the military authorities tried without success to sweep the outcome of the June 12, 1993, presidential election under the rug. It was an election in which 14 million Nigerians gave the late Chief Moshood Abiola and Alhaji Babagana Kingibe the mandate to govern the country. But, 10 days after the historic election, the military junta led by General Ibrahim Babangida annulled the election.
However, this development threw the country into several months of chaos, as angry Nigerians questioned the decision of the military government to cancel an election that was adjudged to be one of the most credible polls in the country’s history. By the time Abiola died on July 7, 1998 — the day he was due to be released from detention — he had become an unexpected symbol of democracy. Many observers believe the country’s current 24 years of uninterrupted civil rule was erected on the blood of innocent citizens who paid the prize for insisting on the restoration of June 12, as the annulled poll has come to be known.
The late Abiola was a committed democrat who paid the supreme price for democracy to flourish in the country. But, all the fuss about June 12 transcends the late Abiola as a person; he was a symbol of the people’s aspiration for democracy. There is a consensus that the annulment represents the killing of the aspirations of the majority of Nigerians for elected representatives to preside over their affairs, rather than self-imposed dictators. Nigerians were fed up with military dictatorship then and wanted change.
With the benefit of hindsight, June 12 was a watershed in Nigeria’s political history, though the military authorities did not know what they were toying with then. Babangida continues to defend his action, but he is likely to go to his grave pondering what might have been if he had not annulled that election. It came after a convoluted transition and political engineering that lasted 10 years. The Babangida-led ruling military junta had organised elections to return the country to civil rule. After successful governorship and parliamentary elections, the presidential election was held on June 12, 1993. But midway into the official declaration of the results, the self-styled President Babangida, annulled the election, citing spurious reasons.
A series of events followed in the wake of this development: protests, unrest, an interim government led by the late Ernest Shonekan, and a bloodless “palace coup” by the late Gen. Sani Abacha. Nigeria’s longest period of military rule eventually ended on May 29, 1999, when Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar who succeeded Abacha organised fresh elections that returned the country to civilian rule.
But, 30 years after June 12, 1993, presidential election, how far has the country imbibed its positive lessons, particularly the sanctity of the ballot box?
In recognition of Abiola’s sacrifice, former President Muhammadu Buhari five years ago honoured the Abeokuta, Ogun State-born businessman and politician by awarding him the country’s highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR), which is reserved for only heads of states. Buhari also made June 12 a national public holiday to commemorate Democracy Day; thereby reducing May 29 to merely a handover day from one administration to another.
The National Chairman of the Afenifere Renewal Group, Hon. Olawale Oshun said the late Abiola deserves the honour because he sacrificed for the democracy Nigerians are currently enjoying. He told The Nation: “He had a choice; some people had suggested that he should give up the struggle and leave the country after he was purportedly granted bail by the military. Some people felt he should have taken the advice and fled the country. If he had accepted it, they would not have succeeded in killing him. But, we would still probably be wallowing in military rule.
“But, he opted to remain and fight for the people’s mandate that was given to him. That was the reason he gave and he defended that mandate and lost his life in the process. Various pro-democracy movements, such as the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and many other groups in the diaspora, participated, but he invigorated the process of getting the military to come to terms with the fact that they have to leave the corridors of power. So, the June 12 struggle was more like an action that precipitated the exit of the military. Abiola was a great man; he had a vision about how to develop the country.”
Following the June 12 debacle, Nigeria has made progress, by being able to sustain civil for 24 years so far. But, indications are that the country is still struggling to find its feet. Oshun who was the Chief Whip of the House of Representatives during the aborted republic said democracy usually thrives once there is a vibrant economy. He said: “One of the crucial things we need to do to advance in our democratic journey is to build a thriving economy. We must make Nigeria a productive economy; not one that is claiming to be a member of the global community but all it can boast of is importing practically everything it requires from countries like China.
“We were once an aspiring productive economy under General Yakubu Gowon, whatever his weaknesses were. The duties placed on imported goods yielded enormous revenue for the government and it also stimulated industrialisation. There were strict controls on goods imported into the country and there were massive investments in the various industries.
“All that is gone now and we have suddenly become an importing country but I hope not forever. Once the country is productive and people are gainfully employed, the security challenge we are talking about will disappear. It will remain only petty crimes. Criminal activities like banditry are crimes of bitterness and protest against the society that produced them. If the majority of the people have something to do, you will see that the bitterness will gradually recede and will be eliminated.”
The elder statesman said it is gratifying that someone who was an active participant in the struggle for the restoration of June 12 and democracy has emerged as the democratically elected leader of the country at this point. His words: “For now, I can say that we have somebody who was an active participant in the June 12 movement as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. What that would do is that with the anticipated good governance that is bound to emerge from the stable of Asiwaju, because of his experience at the Senate and as governor, I believe that dividends of democracy are going to follow shortly.
“If that is the case, I will say that democracy has started to evolve. This is because once he settles down, he will change the direction of our economy, to a productive one, and improve our security situation by making our country a much more secure one. He would also provide more infrastructure, and then everything about growth and development would fall into place. If that happened, we would have started benefitting from the struggle for June 12.”
A civil society activist and former lecturer in the Department of Political Science of Bayero University, Kano, Dr Naseer Kura said the gains of the last 30 years have been a mixed bag of fortunes. He said: “When the military was at the helm of affairs, Nigerians from all walks of life firmly stood together to ensure that the country transmitted from dictatorship to democracy. But, unfortunately, the zeal with which Nigerians fought for the restoration of democracy and good governance has waned. Now, Nigerians are even afraid to speak out and point out the failings of those in authority. Today, all the gains of June 12 and the entire struggle for the de-militarisation of the political space are no longer there, and Nigerians are afraid to point out their feelings. The tyranny and impunity in the system have continued to weigh down some of the gains of the June 12 struggle.”
He said the areas Nigeria needs to improve on include ensuring that institutions of democracy are not hijacked by the political elite. He added: “Before now, Nigerians from different backgrounds and social statuses were able to come together and discuss the interest of the country, to ensure that everything works for the benefit of the generality of the people. But, now, things have changed; ethnicity and religion now play a major role in politics and governance. In this state of affairs, corrupt individuals are supported either because they share the same religion or ethnicity.”
Broadcaster, social worker and human rights activist, Ambassador Emmanuel Gabari said Nigerians did not learn much from the June 12 saga, “Otherwise politicians will have embraced the sanctity of the ballot box and respect the choice of other citizens,” he said, adding: “One of the things Nigerians have been clamouring for over the years, which I believe we are ripe for now, is independent candidacy.
“Political parties in the country have become a challenge because they are working against the advancement of democracy, rather than supporting its growth. Like I always tell people, the electioneering process starts from the primaries of political parties. But, from the way political parties are organised today, they have become a cesspool of corruption; the motive of people who come together as members of political parties is now primarily to enrich themselves.”
Kano State-based Gabari, who is the Executive Director of African Focus For Youth Development (AFFYD), said members of political parties do not contribute anything towards achieving the objectives of establishing the parties, particularly in cash. This, he said, puts the financial burden of running the parties on people with deep pockets that are eyeing one elective or appointive position or the other.
He added in his interview with our reporter over the telephone: “Since the constitution makes political parties the only means through which Nigerians can vie for elective positions, the emphasis of those at the helm of affairs in these parties is on selling their party’s tickets to the highest bidder. So, a potentially good candidate that does not have the wherewithal and who is not able to throw money around and lobby party delegates do not stand any chance of flying his party’s flag in an election. The country at large would have lost the services of such persons because they do not have the financial muscle to participate in our expensive electioneering process. So, we must try to discourage money politics because the Nigerian is the ultimate loser.
“Secondly, the electoral umpire, INEC, needs to do more to regain the trust of Nigerians; the body must convince Nigerians that their votes still count because the image of INEC was further battered during the just concluded election as a result of the way and manner it conducted the election. Many people were disenfranchised because electoral officials did not arrive at some polling units until about 2 pm and because some other people could not find their names in the electoral register, following the so-called creation of new polling units. In some places, voting was still on until about midnight and the wee hours of the day. An election should not be that stressful. This is particularly given the huge sum of money that was voted for the conduct of the just concluded election.
“If the commission is sincere about organising free, fair and transparent elections, going forward, it should work out the modalities for online voting, so people can vote from the comfort of their homes. This is because the lives and security of some people were threatened during the recent exercise; people were beaten up for daring to come out to vote; and others were coerced to vote for political parties against their choice. While all this was happening, the security officials posted to ensure that there is law and order, just sat down and watched helplessly. This is capable of discouraging many people from exercising their right to vote in future.
“When it comes to the collation of results, it could well be that the last election was not rigged. But, the way INEC went about the whole process leaves much to be desired. It’s not about coming to a live television programme to promise heaven on earth, but on the day of the election, you do the very opposite. Officials of the commission, including its chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, kept assuring Nigerians that following the declaration of results at each polling unit, they will be uploaded in real-time to the commission’s result viewing portal. But, this was done selectively on the day of the election by uploading results for the House of Representatives election, as well as that of the Senate, but ignoring the results of the presidential election.”
Besides the issue of organising free, fair and transparent elections, observers believe the way forward is for the Nigerian state to re-engage with its diverse people; and to decentralise the governance structure by devolving power and functions to the federating units as befits its plural nature.
