Politics
Re-Enacting June 12
Last Wednesday, pro-democracy and civil society groups in different parts of the country recalled with disgust one of the darkest chapters in the political evolution of the Nigerian state- the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
That election was adjudged the freest and fairest in the history of the country and was widely believed to have been won by the presidential candidate of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), Late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawole Abiola.
Trouble started when a group known as Association for Better Nigeria (ABN) under the leadership of Senator Arthur Nzeribe approached a Federal High Court in Abuja seeking for an injunction to restrain the National Electoral Commission (NEC) from conducting the election on the premise that 25 million Nigerians wanted the military president, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babaginda to continue to rule the country in the next four years.
While most Nigerians dismissed Nzeribe and his co-travellers as political jesters and rabble-rousers, the presiding judge, Justice Bassey Ikpeme was of the view that the matter was justiceable and the litigants must be given fair hearing. After all said and done she delivered a rulling that the election should not hold, thus throwing the nation into fits of delirium.
However, respite came when NEC re-assured Nigerians that the election would hold as scheduled. NEC’s announcement also disabused the minds of those who alluded the happenings to a ploy by the military junta to hold on to power.
To demonstrate their discontent for the prolonged military rule in the country, Nigerians for the first time in the history of the country jettisoned their tribal cleavages religious beliefs and political affiliations and voted for the candidates of their choice.
The following day results from 30 states of the country and the Federal Capital Territory were in the public domain. Chief M.K.O Abiola had a clean sweep of the poll, waiting for NEC to formally declare him the winner of the most credible election in the country.
Surprisingly, there was a miserable development as ABN in furtherance of its diabolical plot against the Nigerian state and its people secured injunction from a Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Dahiru Saleh ordering NEC to stop further announcement of the results. NEC therefore, was compelled by the federal military government to comply with the court order. Few days later, Gen. Babaginda hit the nail into the coffin by announcing the annulment of the election for spurious reasons.
Angered by the truncation of the democratic process in the country, pro-democracy and civil society groups as well as the Nigerian press decided to wage a bloodless war against anti-democratic forces which the military junta and its hirelings symbolised.
As a renowned military officer and coupist, Gen. Babaginda knew when to beat a retreat to save himself from imminent danger. For a man who had ruled one of the “richest” black nations in the world for eight years, he knew it was time to step aside in the comfort of his personal abode to enable him count his blessings. So, he stepped aside.
But Chief Abiola was not one to be cowed by the military junta to forgo the mandate that was freely given to him by Nigerians to liberate them from the state of hopelessness and helplessness as encapsulated in his campaign slogan “Hope 93.” He fought and paid the supreme price for democracy to be institutionalised in Nigeria.
Regrettably, twenty years after the annulment of June 12 election, Nigeria is returning to the path of insanity and ignominy that led to the painful death of many citizens of self-styled giant of Africa, because of selfish, unpatriotic and mindless actions of our past leaders.
What is happening in the Nigeria Governors Forum is a harbinger of what the world should expect from the so-called leaders in 2015. Since May 24, when the governors conducted election to choose their leaders, the NGF has been polarized, because the preferred candidate of the presidency and the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was defeated by a popular candidate who secured majority of the votes. Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State was re-elected, having polled 19 votes against Jonah Jang’s 16 in an election that was acknowledged by many Nigerians who watched the video recording both in social and national media as free and fair.
This was against the backdrop of alleged irregularity by anti-Amaechi governors. The plank of their argument was that Governor Jang was endorsed by 19 governors poior to the election and wondered why his endorsement should not take precedence over electoral process in a democratic setting.
Election is part and pareel of a democratic culture. A situation where some of the political leaders declare a winner in an electoral contest before the election proper bespeak of evil days ahead.
A situation where the actual winner in an electoral contest and his supporters are persecuted by the powers-that-be for exercising their constitutional rights is not healthy for the nation’s democracy.
A situation where flimsy reasons were given to decredit a transparent electoral process that returned Governor Amaechi to power as chairman of NGF reminds one of the spurious reasons adduced by the military junta in the annulment of the June 12 election. Nigeria cannot walk that path again. Our votes must count.
Civil Society Coalition for Good Governance, Budget and Accountability has condemned the defection of the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Executive Secretary, Civil Society Coalition for Good Governance, Budget and Accountability, Amb. Emmanuel Nkweke, who said this in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt also described as illegal all legislations passed by the defected lawmakers.
Amb. Nkweke described the defection as “monkey politics’, queried the rational behind the action of the lawmakers few months after being sworn into office, adding that members of the civil society community were yet to be told reasons for the defection.
“Up till now, we are yet to be told why they defected just few months of being sworn into office. For me, that is monkey politics”, he said.
He urged the lawmakers to go back to their former party and beg Rivers people for forgiveness, adding that if that is done, they may be welcomed back.
Amb. Nkweke also cautioned the lawmakers not to allow themselves to be used to do the bidding of an individual, adding that the present administration in the state needs the support of all to move forward.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the group has commended Governor Siminalayi Fubara for giving civil societies the latitude to operate freely in the state.
He alleged that civil societies were caged in the last eight years, adding that there was no breathing space for civil societies in the last eight years in the state.
Amb. Nkweke described civil society as the engine room of democracy as it engages in sensitisation on the policies and programmes of government, regretting, however, that their inputs were never taken into considerations.
“Civil societies give signals, civil society creates the awareness and sensitize the people towards achieving a reliable democracy.
‘’i want to let you know, very frankly, that civil society space in Rivers State, for the past eight years, was suffocated. There was no breathing space, they didn’t breathe. Civil society was dead completely”, he said.
Amb. Nkweke said the situation also affected upcoming activists as some of them had to operate from hideouts.
By: John Bibor
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called on President Bola Tinubu not to condone incompetent personalities in his government.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, NANS President, Comrade Pedro Obi, expressed concerns about the competence of the Minister of State for Youth Development and the SSA to the President on Student Engagement.
Comrade Obi, after staging a peaceful protest at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), reiterated that the NANS will not be intimidated and will continue to fight for the interests of Nigerian students.
He said, “The message is very simple, we have incompetent people who have been appointed to offices. It’s unfortunate and it’s not the President’s fault, of course he believes in Nigerian youths and has also given us the opportunity to showcase our capacity in various roles that he has given us.
“We have the SSA to the President on Student Engagement, who has shown incompetence. He cannot continue to hold that office and we are calling on Mr. President that he should be sacked with immediate effect.
“Also we have the Minister of State for Youth Development. We are also calling that immediately he should be sacked, because he has left what he ought to do and has dabbled into the affairs of NANS.
“These people have displayed incompetence and are destroying the youth community. There are so many competent youths that President Tinubu can pick from.
“NANS can never be intimidated. This is an organisation that we grew up to meet and we will continue to protect the dignity of this organisation.”
Receiving the NANS on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office in the SGF, Dr. Maurice Nnamdi Mbaeri, assured the NANS of relaying back their complaints to the SGF which he said will land on the listening ears of President Tinubu.
According to him, “I have listened to the complaints you raised. I assure you that your complaints will get to the listening ears of Mr. President.
“Let me assure you that I’m happy this was also re-echoed in the NANS President’s speech that President Tinubu has indebt love for the youths of Nigeria and also for the students of Nigeria. This has been demonstrated by polices that (has) been put in place for the youths.
“I want to assure you that the President has your concerns in his heart and he’s always ever ready to attend to your needs.
“With this, I am going to report back to my boss the SGF, who will take up the matter with the President. I urge you to continue to maintain peace and tranquillity. Don’t do anything that will make Mr. President feel bad about you.”
Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Iyiorchia Ayu, has withdrawn the court action he instituted against the party over his controversial removal from office barely two years into his four year term.
His action has removed legal impediments likely to militate against the emergence of his replacement from the North Central.
Several meetings have been held and being planned following this new development.
On Tuesday, the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) passed a vote of confidence on the Ag. National Chairnan, Amb. Umar Damagum, whom members said has discharged his functions creditably.
It was gathered that the North Central Caucus of the party had long before now started mobilizing to ensure that the zone produces Ayu’s replacement to complete his tenure which expires in 2025.
In a related development, Amb. Damagum has held series of meetings with various groups to perhaps shore up his chances of retaining his seat as acting chairman.
He led the members of the NWC on Wednesday to interact with the PDP National Ex-officio ahead of the NEC meeting.
Immediately after the meeting with them, he led the NWC members to another meeting with the State Party Chairmen from the 36 States, including FCT, Abuja.
The meetings were held at the NEC Hall, PDP National Secretariat at Wadata Plaza, Wuse Zone 5, in Abuja.
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