21 years after: Presidency, others mark June 12 in style.

SINCE 1994, pro-democracy activists and state governments in the country, especially in the South-West Geo-political zone, have always mapped out events to commemorate the June 12, 1993 presidential polls adjudged the freest and fairest election ever held in Nigeria.

            Considered a watershed in the annals of electioneering in the country, the annulled election was presumably won by late business tycoon, Chief M.K.O Abiola, who died in the battle to reclaim his mandate. His beautiful wife, Kudirat, was also assassinated by gunmen said to be government agents.

Military government’s clampdown

A host of politicians, activists and many innocent Nigerians, old and young, died in the protests that followed the annulment amid the then military government’s clampdown.

               The unbending resolve of most Nigerians through pro-democracy activism paved the way for the return of civil rule on May 29, 1999 with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a kinsman of Abiola as president.

However, since the return to civil rule, the presidency has never celebrated June 12. While South-West governors, who then were of the opposition Alliance for Democracy (AD) chose June 12 as Democracy Day, the presidency under Obasanjo declared May 29 as Democracy Day.

All through his eight year reign, Obasanjo did not acknowledge ‘June 12’ and Abiola’s supreme price in his second coming as head of state. There was also no attempt to immortalise Abiola in spite of unceasing calls for such honour even when the National Assembly suggested that the National Stadium, Abuja be named after him.

Light at the end of the tunnel

However, things are totally different this year, 21 years after. Even, Obasanjo, on June 1, 2014 said that Abiola sacrificed a lot for Nigeria  and should be immortalised.

          President Goodluck Jonathan kick-started the efforts to immortalise Abiola on may 29, 2012 when he renamed the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Moshood Abiola University (MAU). The renaming, however, remains inchoate on account of legal actions taken by stakeholders.

This year, the Federal Government is organizing an elaborate event –All Political Parties’ Summit on June 12. The gathering, which a host of party leaders have promised to attend, is being anchored by the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Inter-Party Affairs, Senator Ben Obi.

             Besides the Federal Government sponsored events, there will also be June 12 events in Lagos and other parts of the South-West. The June 12 Movement, in collaboration with Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND) and Nigeria Youth Movement Foundation will organize  national democracy colloquium and Tribute session tagged: “June 12: The National Confab And Growing Insecurity In Nigeria: The Way Out,” at Abiola’s Ikeja, Lagos residence.

The Lagos State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) will also organize a public lecture. With the theme; June 12: “Lessons for Today’s Democracy,” the lecture will be delivered by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State with Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) as discussant.

Past politicians’ summits

The All Political Parties’ Summit is similar to the All-Politicians’ summits held in 1994 and 2002.

Following the June 12 crisis, leading politicians across the country gathered at Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos in 1994 on the banner of All-Politicians’ summit, to hammer out possible engagements that could prevent the kind of disunity, treachery and other untoward tendencies that led to the June 12 brouhaha.

However, the leaders could not go far in the quest as the then military government headed by the late General Sani Abacha unleashed terror on the participants, who had to scamper for safety.

Leading politicians also met in 2002 meeting to address peaceful co-existence among politicians following the wave of violence that trailed preparations for the 2003 elections.

Need for 2014 summit

         Once again, the nation is at cross roads, less than 10 months to the 2015 general elections. The polity, especially the North-Eastern part of the country is engulfed by mayhem and recurring deaths occasioned by the Boko Haram insurgency.

Why we’re convening inter-party summit — Obi

Speaking on preparations for the summit, Senator Obi, who said he had spoken to leaders of all the parties in the country, disclosed that the leadership and stakeholders in all the political parties had agreed to participate in the talks.

Political stakeholders

         Former Military Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) is expected to chair discussions at the summit holding at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

To be declared open by President Jonathan, the parley is expected to attract civil society organisations, the diplomatic community and other political stakeholders.

Speaking on the need for the summit, Obi said it would highlight the negative consequences of the politics of bitterness, rancour, mud-slinging and unnecessary bellicosity to the political, economic and social well-being of the nation.

             His words: “At the heart of the inter-party conversation is the building of inter-party consensus through institutional and informal collaboration. If the collaboration between existing political parties is sufficiently reinforced, the national political climate will wear a positive outlook, social stability will be guaranteed, national security will be deepened and democratic consolidation will be effectuated.

“However, the current national political outlook with regard to inter-party collaboration is less than salutary. Indeed, the conduct, behaviour and utterances of leading politicians, at home and abroad, are rapidly spreading unnecessary tension in the country, stoking the embers of discord, bitterness and rancour, and obviously playing into the hands of extremist elements that are waging a vicious terror war against the Nigerian state. If these enemies perceive the political class to be in disarray, it will further embolden them in the crimes they are daily committing against the Nigerian people.”

Obi noted that the current dispensation had witnessed unbroken political transitions and power successions from 1999 to date but regretted that there were still very powerful anti-democratic forces operating in the political system.

           He warned that these anti-democratic forces were ever ready to exploit lapses in the management of the political and electoral processes to wage a bitter struggle against the Nigerian state.

Arguing that political parties played key roles in the evolution and consolidation of the country’s democratic enterprise, he said by their acts and conducts, political parties could either advance the cause and course of the democratic system or endanger it.

Senator Obi said there was need for the nation’s political parties to close ranks and safeguard the country’s democratic infrastructure, even as they pursue their separate governance vision and compete for power in a healthy, decent and civilised manner.

Obi hoped that the summit would reinforce the key ingredients in the code of conduct of political behaviour and re-commit Nigerian political parties to its salient norms. “The summit intends to mainstream the idea that Nigerian political parties are key national patriotic stakeholders, either in government or in opposition, who are genuinely committed to the success of the Nigerian project, and to serve as a platform for wide deliberation on an action plan that will lead to free, fair, transparent and violence-free general elections in 2015.”

We’ll attend—party leaders

Asked if they would attend today’s summit, party leaders nodded positively.

              National Leader of the National Advance Party (NAP), Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, who is a delegate at the ongoing National Conference, said his party would attend. “I won’t be there personally because I am very busy at the Confab but we (NAP) will send representatives.”

Also speaking, National Chairman of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) and a delegate at the confab, Dr Frederick Fasehun, said: “I have not seen the invitation but if I see it, I will be there.”

On his part, Chief Maxi Okwu said leaders of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) would have attended but for the leadership crisis ravaging the party. “The information I am getting from the presidency is that APGA is on suspension until the Court of Appeal ruling (on the leadership question),” he said. In like manner, National Chairman of the United Progressives Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, said he would attend the summit because he would always support any effort to commemorate June 12.

           The politician, also called for electronic voting as the surest way to replicate another ‘June 12’ is symbol of our democracy because it signifies the will of the people but the will of the people was subverted by the military. Any time we remember June 12 it is to uphold the will of the people. So the summit is in order. We need to repeat another June 12 election but we cannot do that with apathy, rigging and violence.

Now there is so much apathy and participation in election is so low. If participation is so low the outcome of election will be illegitimate because only 20 per cent of voters participate. In the UPP we see electronic voting system as the only system that will boost participation. People can vote from their homes. There will be no fear of thugs, violence and stuffing of ballot papers. Only the phone used for voters’ registration will be used for voting. So there will be no manipulation. Rigging is one the reasons for apathy.”