Tayo Ogunbiyi
Upon hearing the news, my die hard pro June 12 associate was over emotional. Tears poured down his face as he tried to really sink in the reality of the news. Indeed, not many saw it coming. The several self acclaimed ‘Seers’ and ‘Octopuses’ in the country did not predict it.
The news of the resurgence of June 12 jolted many like a thunderbolt. The more antagonists of June 12 thought they had finally nailed and buried what the date represents, the more its ghost continue to further hunt and prick their conscience.
Several calls for the immortalization of Chief MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 12 election, were continually rebuffed. Same goes for the calls to recognize June 12 as the nation’s official Democracy Day.
But like it is often said, truth is constant. Though it can be suppressed for quite a while, it cannot be permanently obliterated. Truth has a way of coming back. Over the ages, ruthless men have variously tried to repress the truth. Some murdered those they thought hold the key to the truth. Others proscribed mediums they believed could help in preserving the truth while others did everything they could to silence the voices of truth. But then, historically, conspiracies against the truth have always failed woefully.
In the annals of our country’s political history, June 12 remains a watershed. That is the truth that many do not want to hear. But then, truth does not become truth because it is validated by man. No matter the depth of denials, truth remains truth. No more, no less.
The truth is that, no matter how hard its opponents try, for many reasons, June 12 will continue to be a watershed in the annals of our nation’s political history. It was the day that Nigerians expressed a strong resolve to chart a new course for their beloved country. It was the day that Nigerians redefined and reshaped the nation’s political scenery. Prior to that time, our politics sharply reflected our palpable religious and ethnic divides. But on June 12, all that changed. Chief MKO Abiola, who was the presidential candidate of the defunct SDP, had more votes in the northern part of the country than Alhaji Bashir Tofa, his northern challenger from the defunct NRC.
One other remarkable feature of the June 12 election is the electorate disposition to religious sentiments and concerns. In 1993, the defunct SDP was bold and daring in its conviction that fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket (Abiola and Kingibe) would not jeopardise its electoral success. The party went ahead with its conviction and recorded a resounding success at the polls. But for the annulment of the poll’s result, such audacity could have effectively checkmated religious contemplations in our political scene.
Sadly, the then ruling military junta led by General Ibrahim Babangida, rtd, annulled the result of the June 12, 1993, election, thereby ensuring that the acclaimed winner, Chief MKO Abiola, was unable to claim his mandate. Indeed, he died in that process. Sadly, the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election threw the country into needless chaos that opened a floodgate of sorrow, tears and blood. Thus, an election that was supposed to cement our unity was used by ‘powerful’ force to further divide the country. Sadly, most of the principal antagonists of June 12 are holding or have held very prominent positions in the current political dispensation.
Now, the resurgence of June 12 should draw attention to certain fundamental issues that need to be critically addressed in our nation. One is the need to banish ethnic and religious sentiments from our body politics. This is a fundamental lesson from June 12. Closely tied to this is the need to always ensure that future elections in the country are free, fair and credible. June 12 election has been adjudged as one of the freest in the country. Perhaps, that is why its ghost has continued to hunt its adversaries.
Equally, it is important, at least for the sake of posterity that Prof Humphrey Nwosu, the Chief umpire of the election comes out to give the true picture of what transpired, especially leading to the annulment. At what point was he prevailed upon to annul the election? Who were those that tried to suppress the voice of the people? Why has he kept silence for so long? Perhaps, more importantly, there is a need to have an official release of the complete result of that historic election.
Furthermore, it is imperative to further propel the wheel of justice as evidenced in the posthumous honours bestowed on Chief Abiola and Chief Gani Fawehinmi, a leading pro June 12 voice. The point here is that if justice must be properly done as it concerns June 12, those who conspired to ‘kill’ the people’s mandate must be made to face justice. Also, the death of those who lost their lives in the process of the struggle for the revalidation of Chief Abiola’s mandate must be probed and those found culpable in their death must face the music. The truth is that evil triumphs in any society where evil continually goes unpunished. Those
Also, it is imperative for political leaders across the country to always weigh the future import of their actions, especially as it concerns posterity. Only God knows how the man that annulled the June 12 election and his collaborators would be feeling right now. Right in his lifetime, a significant step is being taken to redress an injustice he perpetrated. The political class, at all levels, must take a cue from this in all they do.
When he wrote In Julius Ceaser that the evil that men do live after them, legendary Writer, Williams Shakespeare, was alluding to the fact that evil deeds in history are often more easily remembered than the good ones. A cursory dip into any history book will confirm this. In Julius Ceaser, one of the purposes of Mark Antony’s speech is to mitigate any evils that Caesar may have committed while highlighting the good that he did.
It is often said that history is written by the victors. In the immediate aftermath of Caesar’s assassination it is the conspirators who are the victors. And as such they are keen to rewrite the history of Caesar’s rule to their advantage. Mark Antony’s speech is a subtle attempt to stop them from doing this. Not only is he absolutely determined to ensure that Caesar’s good name will live on, he is also going to do whatever he can to make sure that the evil of the conspirators, their bloody act of treachery, will not only be punished, but never forgotten.
Now is the time to unravel some of the mysteries associated with the June 12, 1993 election. We really need get closer to the truth behind the story of June 12!
Ogunbiyi is of the Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja