June 12: 21 yrs after

Today, Thursday, June 12, 2014 marks the 21^st anniversary of the annulled presidential election held on Saturday, June 12, 1993. RAZAQ BAMIDELE, in this piece reminisces some po­litical events that have taken place since the 21 years of the annulment.
The Genesis
Whenever the military staged a coup in Nigeria, the refrain was “our regime will be brief.” So, it was not different when the duo of General Muhammadu Buhari and Brigadier-General Tunde Idiagbon of tblessed memory interrupted the second re­public under Alhaji Sheu Shagari as Presi­dent on December 31, 1983.
Meanwhile, Nigerians did not have the priviledge of experiencing the regime’s brevity as a palace coup led by General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB), sent the duo packing in 1985 using the same re­frain, ‘brevity.’ But, the so called brevity became longetivity of tenure. Babangida kept on shifting the goal post whenever democratic goal was about to be scored and this earned the Minna, Nigrer State born artillery officer, the sobriquet, ‘Mara­dona,’ the master dribbler.
New breed system
Having blown the whistle for the com­mencement of transition programme early 1990, politicians went out in full force to showcase their political dexterity to be at the vantage positions to capture votes and by extension, power. But all along, critics and activists like the late Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), were skeptical and apprehensive about Babangida’s real motives. They ar­gued vehemently that the then Military President was not sincere, swearing that Babangida was just playing for time, that he never wanted to leave office.
The apprehension of the critics was partially confirmed as Babangida banned those on the field even when party prima­ries were on. Notable among them were the late General Sheu Musa Yar’ Adua and Alhaji Bamanga Tukur among others. To assuage the agony of the politician and in divide and rule antics, Babangida in­troduced a system he code named ‘New Breed Politician.’
It was through this master stroke that he lured the like of the late Moshood Kashi­mawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola into politics with a view to giving his novel idea cred­ibility.
2-Party System
Babangida, the acclaimed ‘Evil Genius’ now introduced another innovation into party politics by decreeing into being, a two-part system. He formed, through a decree, National Republican Conven­tion (NRC), and Social Democratic Party (SDP). Though, pro-democracy fight­ers like the late Dr. Beko Ransome Kuti kicked, saying “it is undemocratic to float political parties through a Military decree, elder statesmen like the late Senator Abra­ham Adesanya partially supported it.
While Kuti said real democrats should not have anything to do with political par­ties midwifed by the Military, Adesanya waxed philosophical saying “let us chase away the fox first before coming back to deal with the recalcitrant fowl.” The old man was of the view that “after chasing away the reluctant Military guys, we can come back to sanitize the polity the way we deem fit.”
Option A4 and staggered elec­tions
Politicians were to go through Option A4 system of balloting where contestants would test their popularity from the wards, through local governments, the states and finally, the federal level as the cases might be.
Babangida also put on ground, stag­gered elections which he said would lead to his gradual disengagement from gover­nance. This led to the elections of gover­nors and members of both the States and Federal Houses of Assembly in 1990 while Babangida was the President supervising the election and hopes started rising that, at last, Nigeria was coasting home demo­cratically.
So, when after the party primaries that threw up MKO Abiola and Alhaji Bashir Usman Tofa as presidential candidates for SDP and NRC respectively, people had started singing Babangida’s praises that, at last, a democratic Daniel has eventually come to judgement.
On Saturday June 12, 1993, Nigerians trooped out to make their choice between the two contestants under the supervision of the electoral umpire, Professor Humph­ery Nwosu. About 14 million people were reported to have voted in that election. And an indication that the power was about to shift from the north to the south manifest when Abiola was reported to have scored 54 percent in Kano State, the home state of his opponent, Bashir Tofa.
June 12 election annulment
A signpost was erected on which the state by state scores of the contestants were recorded. But before anybody could say “IBB,” IBB had ordered the stoppage of the counting and eventually declared the annulment of the election on which fortunes had been expended. Expectedly, heavens literally caved in and went down on the country as Nigerians rose against the annulment. Violent protests enveloped the whole country as protesters were de­manding for de-annulment of the annulled election that adjudged the freest and most credible in the anal of this country. Abiola kept on saying that “it is not possible for a baby already delivered safely to be abort­ed,” and the struggle for the de-annulment continued.

The heat was so much that it consumed Babangida, who annulled the poll as he was forced to ‘step aside’ from office. But before he stepped aside, in his maradonic manner, he introduced another strange contraption into the country’s body polity. He concocted a Interim National Govern­ment (ING), and appointed Chief Ernest Shonekan as its head. This also infuriorat­ed the human rights groups who cried blue murder saying it would be over their dead bodies that an unelected person would rule over them. Fawehinmi prophesied that “Shonekan will go faster than he came,” and 83 days later, Shonekan was booted out of office by the late General Sani Aba­cha, who was earlier the Chief of Defense Staff.
When Abacha came in, there was this false impression that he would re-invali­date Abiola’s mandate when he appointed his so called loyalists like Alhaji Lateef Jakande and Chief Ebenezer Babatope as Ministers. But when days was running to weeks and weeks to months and nothing was forthcoming, the pan Yoruba socio-cultural and political organization, Af­enifere recalled its members but they re­fused to heed the call. And this polarized Yoruba nation along pro and anti Ababcha politicians.
It was finally dawn on the country that Abacha has decided not to abdicate power when he dismantled all the democratic structures on ground and floated another five new parties described by the late Ci­cerio of Esa-Oke, Chief Bola Ige as “five fingers of a leperous hand.”
Epetedo declaration
When it was sure Abacha had decided to stay put in power, Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the annulled election sneaked to Lagos interland of Epetedo and declared himself President of the Federal Repub­lic of Nigeria, based on the June 12, 1993 election and went into hiding as the powers that be was hunting for him for treason.
Abacha’s men were all over the coun­try crushing opposition to his govern­ment. Eventually, Abiola surfaced and was promptly arrested and detained. He even­tually died in custody in July, 1997.
But before then, Abacha had planned to succeed himself through transmutation from Military to civilian President as a consensus candidate of all the five political parties he also decreed into being.
June 12 casualties
Apart from Abiola, a dozen of others either paid supreme prices or got incas­trated or hounded into exile. Abiola’s wife Kudirat, Pa Alfred Riwane and others were mowed down. While the likes of Profes­sor Wole Soyinka, Senator Bola Tinubu, General Alani Akinrinade were hounded into exile. The likes of Mr. Ayo Opadokun, Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, Reverend Tunji Adebiyi, late Chief Bola Ige and others were put in jail.
But barely a month after Abiola’s death in detention, Abacha also died.
Back to ground zero
After the demise of Abacha, General Ab­dusalami Abubakar became the new Head of State in 1998 and promised that his re­gime would be brief. He then rolled out the transition programme in earnest. And three political parties, Alliance for Democ­racy (AD), All Peoples Party (APP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) emerged. Election was truly conducted in 1999 and the forth republic started in earnest with former Military Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo becoming civilian president.
Later, Fawehinmi led a team of ag­grieved political associations leaders to court over restriction on registration of po­litical parties arguing that it was against the provision of the constitution that guarantee freedom of association. At the end of the day, almost 60 political parties were reg­istered. But some of them have since been deregistered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Doctrine of necessity
After eight years of Obasanjo’s reign, the power shifted to the North and the former governor of Katsina State, the late Umaru Yar’Adua was elected President in 2007. Unfortunately, he fell sick and was ferried abroad where he was kept incom­municado by some powerful mafia. When the uncertainty that enveloped the coun­try was becoming unbearable, the former Minister of Information, the late Professor Dora Akuyili was said to have sent a memo to the National Executive Council (NEC), suggesting upgrading the then Vice Presi­dent, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to the position of Acting President pending the arrival of the sick President.
And the National Assembly under the able leadership of the Senate President, Senator David Mark, invoked what was termed “Doctrine of Necessity” to make Jonathan Acting President.
Unfortunately, Nigeria was briefed when President Yar’Adua died and Jonathan be­came substantive President to complete his boss tenure down to 2011.
Jonathan, after controversy over power shift to the north, contested 2011 presiden­tial election and won.
Presently, it took the intervention of the court to clear Jonathan for 2015 election as some are of the view that he has been sworn in twice and thus cannot go for a third term.
Merger
After some weak political parties had been deregistered, some strong parties also decided to merge to form a formidable plat­form with a view to wresting power from the ruling PDP, the party that has boasted to rule Nigeria for at least, 60 years.
So, the former parties, the Action Con­gress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peo­ples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progres­sive Change (CPC), and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), teamed up to for the All Progressives Con­gress (APC).
Democracy Day controversy
When Obasanjo came in on May 29, 1999, he declared the day Democracy Day but pro-June 12 advocates cried foul say­ing without June 12, there wouldn’t be May 29 and as such, June 12, according to them, is Democracy Day.
One of them and Convener of Coali­tion of Democrats for Electoral Reforms (CODER), Mr. Ayo Opadokun insisted that June 12 and not May 29, is the authentic Democracy Day.
So, while the Federal government cel­ebrated Democracy day on May 29, today, pro-democracy activists as well as progres­sive governors in the South-West are likely to declare holiday today to celebrate their own chosen Democracy Day.
However, whether here or there, democ­racy, whether nascent or otherwise has clocked uninterrupted 21 good years in Nigeria.