By Zik Gbemre
The current fuss and criticisms from certain stakeholders over President Buhari’s declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day and acknowledging MKO Abiola’s win of the June 12 1993 Presidential election with the award of GCFR, and crowning it all with an apology to Abiola’s family, is totally uncalled for. Like I have said before now, I really do not see anything wrong with what President Buhari has done in this regard. Buhari did not cause any harm to the MKO Abiola and his wife Kudirat. It was the likes of Ibrahim Badamosi Babaginda (IBB), who were close friends of Abiola, that caused him harm and betrayed him. I don’t think Buhari’s name should be dragged into this.
Those saying that President Buhari’s actions are political, and it is aimed at building the momentum for his political ambitions in 2019, should equally be objective in considering the whole picture. In my own view, the apology tendered by the President Buhari Federal Government to the family of MKO Abiola over the June 12 episode, was done in good faith.
Former President Obasanjo being a Yoruba man and from the same South-West, was elected by Nigerians out of sympathy to compensate the Yorubas and the South West over the fact that Abiola was deliberately denied that seat by IBB and his cohorts. But one would have expected Obasanjo to have recognized and acknowledged Abiola as the winner of the said June 12, 1993 Presidential election, which was annulled by IBB. But he did not do this throughout his eight years reign in office.
While Yar’Adua’s stay in office was brief, but former President Jonathan also came along and did nothing in this regard. So, what Obasanjo and Jonathan did not do, and then somebody came along and demonstrated the boldness to do it, deserves praise and not all these criticisms. We all know that Abiola won the said June 12, 1993 Presidential election, which is today still regarded as the freest, fairest and most peaceful election in the history of the country, and Abiola’s stand led to his incarceration and eventual death, yet, no government after that period did anything to right that wrong, until Buhari did what he did recently, by recognizing “all the participants” of the June 12 saga.
IBB and his cohorts practically murdered democracy with their actions, and this has been forgotten. But here comes Buhari, who by his recent actions, has reminded Nigerians that June 12 should be remembered and recognized as Democracy Day because of the huge sacrifices paid by those involved, all of whom he awarded gracefully. Not to mention many others who lost their lives that we cannot really remember them.
So, people should not trivialise the memory of Abiola and all those who paid the ultimate price of death because of democracy. Since President Buhari has decided to do this now, what is wrong with that? The fact still remains that what other Presidents failed to do, he was able to do it. Nigerians should stop playing politics with everything and every act of those in power. This situation is similar with some of the actions of the US President, Donald Trump, who became the first US President to have recognized Jerusalem as Isreal’s capital – something that other past US Presidents refused and failed to do. So, all the fuss and criticisms about President Buhari’s act over June 12, is uncalled for. It is simply a matter of a political leader ‘correcting’ the wrong of a past ruler, and putting the records straight.
Zik Gbemre,JP.
National Coordinator, Niger Delta Peace Coalition (NDPC)
