Symposium Theme: Lesson of June 12, Votes Must Count in 2014/2015 as Imperative for Credible Elections

Song… mkoo oo is our man x2

June 12, a watershed in our polity. A reality to come to past as it hunts every political step of our nationhood. Where are they? Why are we here? Why are the beneficiaries not here? How can they erase it? Let us hope, like in 1993 that they are still coming to join us either today or tomorrow.

To consign June 12 to the dustbin and stigmatise it as an ethnic agenda is the least democratic disservice that can be done to the criminal act of the annulment which General Ibrahim Babangida stained our polity with and except this wrong is righted we can’t successfully anchor the democratic ship safely.

Let us see some of the facts again.

Unfortunately for Babangida, Abiola was himself a Muslim known for his support of Islam all over Nigeria. He was voted for by both Muslims and Christians, which poetically ran against the seemingly diabolic plan by Babangida to selfishly turn religions against each other so that he could perpetuate his power. The June 12 election cut across religious divides, and showed that Nigerians wanted their country to remain secular without any religion ruling over another. Before that election, one of the cross-wedge issues used by detractors was that Abiola was a Muslim, and would not be voted for by Christians. It became a non-issue after that election.

Secondly, God in His infinite mercies made the Election Day a symbol of reference to all of His mightiness because all odds ceased; where it rained on the land it was a showers of blessing, sun shined but not hostile to stay on cues to exercise our franchise while the desert winds of the north was tolerable to ensure that votes were counted to the wee hours of the night. The Hope started to rise after the counting at each polling station, as results started to roll out in trickles and bits from all angles of the sphere.

Let me share the corresponding facts to establish the June 12 Election, though results undeclared completely but it is a known information after 20years of the criminal rape of democracy, it is all on the internet. Thank God for today’s technology.

Voter turnout was higher in the south than in the north. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Moshood Abiola received over 8 million votes, and won in 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The National Republican Convention (NRC) candidate Alhaji Bashir Tofa received over 6 million votes and won in 10 states only. Over 14 million people voted. Abiola won in Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Taraba, and Yobe states, and the Federal Capital Territory. Tofa won in Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Enugu, Imo, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Rivers and Sokoto States.

Abiola’s victory was comprehensive as he won almost 60% of the total votes cast. Only in two states (Kebbi and Sokoto) did Abiola fail to obtain at least one-third of the votes. Abiola even defeated Tofa in Tofa’s home state of Kano.

Although the voting pattern has subsequently been cast as unprecedented in cutting across ethnic, religious and geographic patterns, the true picture is a little more subtle. It is true that Christians voted for Muslim candidates.

However Christians had little choice in the matter as the Presidential candidates of both parties were Muslim. The SDP was led by two Muslims: Abiola, and his Muslim vice-presidential candidate Babagana Kingibe. The NRC was also led by a Muslim candidate: Alhaji Bashir Tofa. Although Tofa’s running mate was Christian, both Tofa and Kingibe were Kanuri Muslims. Hence the concept of Christians voting for Muslims was an in-built certainty as any vote necessarily had to be for a Muslim since both presidential candidates were Muslim. Additionally, voting patterns in the south-west were solidly genuine interest as the overwhelming majority of votes cast were for Abiola. In the south-west mainly Yoruba states of Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo, Abiola scored crushing victories, and received over 80% of the votes in each of those states. He also received over 85% of the votes in Lagos state.

June 12 was free and fair election in the history of this nation but the proponent of the ill never agreed hence they keep comparing death with mere sleeping. Late President Yar Adua admitted his election was a fraud and of late, Senator Okunrounmu claimed 1999 election of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was rigged.  So which of our elections in history can be seen as a freely given mandate apart from June 12, 1993 Election

His person, MKO Abiola was not a presumed winner, but the President-elect of a nation, and thus universally acknowledged. I make bold to say that we must not only fully announce the results, but also recognize him as a past president that must be accorded his place in the history of Nigeria. It in to his personality may refresh us into few of his qualification at the polls; which include the following.

There has never been a philanthropist on the scale of MKO Abiola in the history of Nigeria. He touched almost all corners of the nation, touched lives irrespective of gender, and endowments both locally and internationally, institutions benefitted, Sports pillar extraordinaire…. His oft-repeated life’s ambition was to touch the life of every Nigerian one way or another, what a great opportunity he missed at the gate of Aso Rock shot by IBB to achieve the dream by annulment of June 12.

He may have succeeded in the area of education alone.

In March 1990, he donated N1m (equivalent of N40 million in 2010) to each State University, N50,000 (N2 million in 2010) to each Federal University for student welfare, N20,000 (N800,000 in 2010) to the libraries of each Federal University and N25,000 (N1 million in 2010) to each Polytechnic and College of Education.

He is credited with the construction of 63 secondary schools and 41 libraries.

He established Abiola Bookshops to provide affordable, locally produced textbooks in the 1980s when imported textbooks became out of the reach of ordinary Nigerians when the Naira was devalued.

 Over 1,000 scholarships were awarded to deserving students in tertiary institutions at home and abroad. In addition to those awarded by the Federal Government, MKO Abiola awarded bursaries to every single student from Ogun State. For every N500 they received from the Federal government, they received N250 from MKO Abiola. To delve into his contributions in Sports, Culture and Welfare would turn this speech into a thesis.

We as a people must now stand up to demand of our leaders the values which MKO Abiola fought and died for. The realisation and actualisation of democracy, the freedom of our masses from oppression, the emancipation of our people from poverty, the end to charlatanism and religious bigotry and, equally important, our right to finally banish incompetence and corruption by choosing leaders of similar ilk who share these ideals and would similarly give up their life for it.

Nigerians conferred the greatest honour on Abiola when they overwhelmingly voted him as President in 1993.

It couldn’t have been agreed less, on June 12 we stand. The truth will continue to threaten the Nigeria nation if not boldly revisited and resolved to complete the political history of our development towards true democracy. The events also include lives lost unsung in the struggle, the prize and pain would have taught us a great lesson to build a better Nigeria that is devoid of suspicion, thuggery, corruption, and flagrant abuses of power, and non-responsive to people’s yearning, suffering and pains. June 12 a debacle to all the agents and unrepentant beneficiary of its products and refusal to acknowledge the figure, Chief Kasimawo Olawale Abiola. Justice must be done to move our great country on course to peace, freedom and truth. All these would give chance to equality and quality service to thrive with conscience driven leaders of selfless service. June 12 is the real DEMOCRACY Day, let’s live it.

1. Immortalising the winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 Presidential election, Chief Moshood Abiola.

2. Electoral reform of the democratic system which will be ensured by protection with necessary institutions.

3. I advocate a two major ideologically driven party-structure, a third party may be for those who may feel they cannot be accommodated in either, then independent candidature are allowed.

4. Electoral fraud to be criminalized and treated with zero tolerance which can be equated to corruption.

5. Political office aspirations must not be based or qualified by zoning, tribal and/or religious considerations.

6. The protection of Democracy should greatly depend on all of us (Nigerians). All must be political animals, ready to defend our votes and ensure our votes count at all times.

7. It is empirical that, June 12 gave birth to May 29. Must be in the anal of political evolution.

8. It also showed the unity, hope and genuine decision at poll of Nigerians, which was the total rejection of military in anticipation of our proper independence.