Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, CFR was
born on August 14, 1937 and died under suspicious
circumstances on July 7, 1998.
A popular Nigerian Yoruba businessman,
publisher, politician and aristocrat of the Yoruba
Egba clan, he is often referred to as M. K. O.
Abiola.
He ran for the presidency in 1993 and was
widely regarded as the presumed winner of the
election which was annuled by former military
head of state, General Ibrahim Babangida.
Across Nigeria today, at least the six states in the
Southwest have declared June 12 a public
holiday and are holding ceremonies in his
honour.
In this piece, adegokblog .com presents major facts about
the historic June 12 and the unforgettable events
surrounding it.
1. Several of those involved in the election are dead
MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the
election, died in detention in 1998. Also, Justice
Bassey Ikpeme, who gave the controversial order
stopping the election, died in 1997.
Clement Akpamgbo, the attorney general and
minister of justice who was involved in the legal
tussles, died in 2006.
Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, the then second-in-
command to General Ibrahim Babangida, who
famously said Abiola could not be sworn in as
president because government was owing him a
lot of money, died in 2011.
2. The celebration lasted only two hours
Following the election victory, most Nigerians
celebrated in the streets. However on that fateful
day, 25 years ago, the celebrations were short-
lived as two hours later, the military declared
the election results annulled.
3. No Hausa or Fulani politicians featured on the
tickets
Strangely, the 1993 elections had no person of
Hausa or Fulani extraction picked as presidential
or vice-presidential candidate.
Alhaji Bashir Tofa, who contested against Abiola,
is a Kanuri from Kano. Alhaji Babagana Kingibe,
a Kanuri from Borno state, was Abiola’s running
mate. However, after the annulment, the Hausa/
Fulani bore the brunt.
4. Abiola won the election
This is not surprising, but it is quite important to
know that he won the election, fair and square.
Abiola scored 58.36% of the 14 million votes
cast.
His rival, Tofa, polled 5,952,087 votes,
representing 41.64%. Only three states each
returned more than 1 million votes, all southern:
Lagos, Rivers (now Rivers and Bayelsa) and
Ondo.
5. Abiola received the highest votes in Lagos state
Abiola received his highest votes from Lagos
state. He smiled home with 883,965. Ondo state
(now Ondo and Ekiti) delivered a total of 883,024
votes, which gave Lagos a good run for its
money.
6. The southwest were solidly behind him
Abiola scored more than 80% in each of the five
southwestern states: Lagos, Ondo, Oyo, Osun and
Ogun state. Osun’s 87% was his highest
percentage nationwide. His 78% in Kwara was
his highest outside of the southwest.
7. His rival scored poorly
Tofa did not score up to 80% in any state. He
came close to that in Sokoto where he got 79%.
Incidentally, Abiola scored his worst percentage
in Sokoto (20%). Tofa, however, did not score up
to 70% in any other state after Rivers.
8. June 12 should be a national holiday
Many Nigerians are of the opinion that June 12
should be a national holiday. The date is
celebrated in honour of an annulled presidential
election in June 12, 1993. However, only some
Nigerian states were actually celebrating it until
Wednesday, June 6, when President
Muhammadu Buhari surprised the whole nation
by declaring June 12 the new Democracy Day to
replace May 29.
9. Babangida's role
The election was annulled by Ibrahim Babangida
because of alleged evidence that they were
corrupt and unfair, a development that ushered
in a political crisis that led to General Sani
Abacha seizing power later that year.
10. Abiola declared himself president
In 1994, Abiola declared himself the lawful
president of Nigeria in the Epetedo area of Lagos
Island, an area mainly dominated by Lagos
indigenes, after he returned from a trip to solicit
the support of the international community for
his mandate.
After declaring himself president he was
declared wanted and was accused of treason and
arrested on the orders of military President
General Sani Abacha who sent 200 police
vehicles to bring him into custody.
11. Abiola's death
Abiola died on July 7, 1998 on the day he was
due to be released from incarceration under
suspicious circumstances shortly after the death
of General Abacha. The official autopsy stated
that Abiola died of natural causes but Abacha’s
chief security officer, Al-Mustapha, alleged he
was beaten to death.
12. The fairest election till date
The election was declared Nigeria’s freest and
fairest presidential election by national and
international observers, with Abiola even
winning in his Northern opponent’s home state.
June 12 is, thus, a day to remember chief
Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola as well as
other democracy martyrs.
Adegokblog .com earlier reported that a human rights
lawyer, Femi Falana, commended President
Buhari for granting a post humous national
award of Grand Commander of the Federal
Republic (GCFR) on Chief M. K. O. Abiola.
Falana also said the declaration of June 12 as
Democracy Day was an end to the hypocrisy of
celebrating it on May 29.
According to him, it “validated the integrity of the fair
and free election that was criminally annulled by the
Ibrahim Babangida junta”.
He said the Muhammadu Buhari administration
has made history by conferring the post humous
national award of Grand Commander of the
Federal Republic (GCFR) on Chief M. K. O. Abiola,
who was the acclaimed winner of the June 12,
1993 presidential election for his huge
contribution to the restoration of democratic rule
in Nigeria.
born on August 14, 1937 and died under suspicious
circumstances on July 7, 1998.
A popular Nigerian Yoruba businessman,
publisher, politician and aristocrat of the Yoruba
Egba clan, he is often referred to as M. K. O.
Abiola.
He ran for the presidency in 1993 and was
widely regarded as the presumed winner of the
election which was annuled by former military
head of state, General Ibrahim Babangida.
Across Nigeria today, at least the six states in the
Southwest have declared June 12 a public
holiday and are holding ceremonies in his
honour.
In this piece, adegokblog .com presents major facts about
the historic June 12 and the unforgettable events
surrounding it.
1. Several of those involved in the election are dead
MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the
election, died in detention in 1998. Also, Justice
Bassey Ikpeme, who gave the controversial order
stopping the election, died in 1997.
Clement Akpamgbo, the attorney general and
minister of justice who was involved in the legal
tussles, died in 2006.
Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, the then second-in-
command to General Ibrahim Babangida, who
famously said Abiola could not be sworn in as
president because government was owing him a
lot of money, died in 2011.
2. The celebration lasted only two hours
Following the election victory, most Nigerians
celebrated in the streets. However on that fateful
day, 25 years ago, the celebrations were short-
lived as two hours later, the military declared
the election results annulled.
3. No Hausa or Fulani politicians featured on the
tickets
Strangely, the 1993 elections had no person of
Hausa or Fulani extraction picked as presidential
or vice-presidential candidate.
Alhaji Bashir Tofa, who contested against Abiola,
is a Kanuri from Kano. Alhaji Babagana Kingibe,
a Kanuri from Borno state, was Abiola’s running
mate. However, after the annulment, the Hausa/
Fulani bore the brunt.
4. Abiola won the election
This is not surprising, but it is quite important to
know that he won the election, fair and square.
Abiola scored 58.36% of the 14 million votes
cast.
His rival, Tofa, polled 5,952,087 votes,
representing 41.64%. Only three states each
returned more than 1 million votes, all southern:
Lagos, Rivers (now Rivers and Bayelsa) and
Ondo.
5. Abiola received the highest votes in Lagos state
Abiola received his highest votes from Lagos
state. He smiled home with 883,965. Ondo state
(now Ondo and Ekiti) delivered a total of 883,024
votes, which gave Lagos a good run for its
money.
6. The southwest were solidly behind him
Abiola scored more than 80% in each of the five
southwestern states: Lagos, Ondo, Oyo, Osun and
Ogun state. Osun’s 87% was his highest
percentage nationwide. His 78% in Kwara was
his highest outside of the southwest.
7. His rival scored poorly
Tofa did not score up to 80% in any state. He
came close to that in Sokoto where he got 79%.
Incidentally, Abiola scored his worst percentage
in Sokoto (20%). Tofa, however, did not score up
to 70% in any other state after Rivers.
8. June 12 should be a national holiday
Many Nigerians are of the opinion that June 12
should be a national holiday. The date is
celebrated in honour of an annulled presidential
election in June 12, 1993. However, only some
Nigerian states were actually celebrating it until
Wednesday, June 6, when President
Muhammadu Buhari surprised the whole nation
by declaring June 12 the new Democracy Day to
replace May 29.
9. Babangida's role
The election was annulled by Ibrahim Babangida
because of alleged evidence that they were
corrupt and unfair, a development that ushered
in a political crisis that led to General Sani
Abacha seizing power later that year.
10. Abiola declared himself president
In 1994, Abiola declared himself the lawful
president of Nigeria in the Epetedo area of Lagos
Island, an area mainly dominated by Lagos
indigenes, after he returned from a trip to solicit
the support of the international community for
his mandate.
After declaring himself president he was
declared wanted and was accused of treason and
arrested on the orders of military President
General Sani Abacha who sent 200 police
vehicles to bring him into custody.
11. Abiola's death
Abiola died on July 7, 1998 on the day he was
due to be released from incarceration under
suspicious circumstances shortly after the death
of General Abacha. The official autopsy stated
that Abiola died of natural causes but Abacha’s
chief security officer, Al-Mustapha, alleged he
was beaten to death.
12. The fairest election till date
The election was declared Nigeria’s freest and
fairest presidential election by national and
international observers, with Abiola even
winning in his Northern opponent’s home state.
June 12 is, thus, a day to remember chief
Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola as well as
other democracy martyrs.
Adegokblog .com earlier reported that a human rights
lawyer, Femi Falana, commended President
Buhari for granting a post humous national
award of Grand Commander of the Federal
Republic (GCFR) on Chief M. K. O. Abiola.
Falana also said the declaration of June 12 as
Democracy Day was an end to the hypocrisy of
celebrating it on May 29.
According to him, it “validated the integrity of the fair
and free election that was criminally annulled by the
Ibrahim Babangida junta”.
He said the Muhammadu Buhari administration
has made history by conferring the post humous
national award of Grand Commander of the
Federal Republic (GCFR) on Chief M. K. O. Abiola,
who was the acclaimed winner of the June 12,
1993 presidential election for his huge
contribution to the restoration of democratic rule
in Nigeria.
No comments:
Post a Comment