Politics

June 12 And The Burden Of A Declaration

Published

8 years ago

July 11, 2018

After about 25 years in the public space in Nigeria as a major political issue, not many people expected anything radically different from the trend of discussion concerning the epic presidential election of 1993 and its fallouts which have, infact, been heavily tampered by the passage of time. However, President Muhammadu Buhari got the country into a frenzy with a profound and far-reaching statement on Wednesday, June 6, 2018 that altered the tone of discussion in the subject matter.
In a statement he personally released to the public, President Buhari said: “In the view of Nigerians, as shared by the administration, June 12, 1993, was and is far more symbolic of democracy in the Nigerian context than May 29, or even October 1”. He therefore went on to disclose that: “I am delighted to announce that, after due consultations, the federal government had decided that henceforth, June 12 will be celebrated as Democracy Day”.
While by the presidential proclamation, the president supplanted May 29, inaugurated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 and celebrated as Democracy Day since then, he also (un)officially declared the late M.K.O Abiola as winner of the 1993 presidential contest and only fell short of proclaiming him as former head of state with the posthumous award of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, GCFR.
As expected, Nigerians from all walks of life have since not stopped talking. While some have hailed the action of the president on the matter, others have queried his sincerity of purpose. Those who give thumbs up to the president commend him for summoning the courage to bring closure to an issue that has haunted the nation and dogged every political development for about two and a half decades. They see him as one who means well for political development as well as the entrenchment of democracy in the country.
However, those who hold a contrary opinion accuse the president of playing to the gallery and motivated by desire to reap electoral benefits more than any other consideration. To buttress their position they question the democratic credentials of the president and quickly point out the fact that no notable statement of condemnation of the pervertion of the people’s will and the injustice meted out to the people’s choice is traceable to him in all these years. Indeed, there are those who have expressed differing opinions on June 12 as Democracy Day and the post humous conferment of GCFR on Chief Abiola.
Public affairs analyst, Fola Ojo was more excited by the honour done the late politician, praising President Buhari for doing what was just and condemning his predecessors for not being able to rise to the occasion when they had the opportunity.
According to him, “History records it on this day what others couldn’t do, Buhari has done. What Abiola’s kinsman, President Olusegun Obasanjo hated to do, Buhari has done. What Umaru Yar’Adua couldn’t do, this president had done. What Goodluck Jonathan attempted to do and was resisted by the powers that be, this retired General from Daura has done. He has done what is right and just”.
Mr Ojo however acknowledged that those who do not agree with the president were well within their rights and have their good reasons for their position, adding that Buhari was no longer a soldier and therefore should be permitted to play politics, being a politician now.
“Politicians play politics. That’s their craft. Buhari is a politician, not an Imam and no longer a soldier. He must play politics. What is important to many is that he just did what is honourable with the honour conferred on Abiola”, he said.
On his part, the opponent of Chief M.K.O Abiola and candidate of the National Republican Convention, NRC, in the famous 1993 presidential election, Alhaji Basir Tofa says he is neither impressed nor excited by the proclamations of President Buhari.
Expressing reservations on the president’s move, Alhaji Tofa is reported to have said: “While I do not begrudge the president his power to bestow favour on whomsoever he pleases, it is also important, especially for history, for all actions from the highest authority in the country to be based on fair play and law”.
On the adoption of June 12 as the new date to celebrate democracy in Nigeria, the retired politician said: “whatever may be the prevailing sentiment and politics in Abuja, the idea that June 12 should be the new Democracy Day is also a matter that deserves serious reconsideration. Such decisions should be beyond some political cold calculations”.
Speaking with The Tide in Port Harcourt on the subject matter and the position of President Muhammadu Buhari in advancing democracy in the country with his declaration, a university lecturer, Dr Emmanuel Wonah and a public affairs commentator, Andy Akpotiveh expressed the view that the president needs to do a lot more to be taken seriously by Nigerians with regard to his efforts at advancing the frontiers of democracy as he would love to be seen to be doing.
While acknowledging that the president’s pronouncements on June 12 and late Abiola were a “master stroke” and advice well heeded to, Akpotiveh said they were grossly in sufficient to elevate President Buhari to the pedestal of a champion of democracy.
“Nobody can say that by doing this alone, Buhari has suddenly transmitted from what he is to being a champion of democracy. Indeed, he took good advice given the fact that he attempted to write the bad in history and to rewrite it for people to understand that there was humongous injustice that was done to the people of Nigeria and the family of Abiola and to the active democratic players of the time,” he said, adding: “the fact that he listened to those people indeed is the reason why I say that it’s a master stroke”.
However, Mr Akpotiveh noted that it was regrettable that there were huge gaps left by the president in his transformation process to being a democratic leader. According to him, “all of the things that are the appurtenances of democratic practice everywhere else in the world, I don’t think that the current president has tried to highlight those things in his administration”.
“For me, the day I will say that the current president is now a leading, touching democratic person is the day he begins to respect everything about democracy; he begins to respect freedom to associate, freedom to speak; he begins to respect people’s interest; he begins to respect court judgements; he begins to respect all the institutions of democracy. When I see President Buhari demonstrate these things, then I can say that indeed he is a changed person. But for just what he has done, it is not sufficient for anybody who is rational, anybody who is thinking, anybody who was around in 1993 to say that Buhari is now a democratic person,” he argued.
Speaking in the same vein, Dr Emmanuel Wonah, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science and Administrative Studies, University of Port Harcourt, said he didn’t see any remarkable correlation between Nigeria’s democratic aspirations and the pronouncements regarding a shift in date for the commemoration of democracy.
“I don’t think that has any remarkable impact on the fact that we want to be democratic as a people, he said, insisting that “the fact that you shifted Democracy Day from May 29 to June 12 doesn’t make the difference.
According to Dr Wonah, what was important and desirable was the strengthening of democratic institutions and the entrenchment of democratic culture that will ensure responsive and responsible governance and a vibrant and stable polity that will engender economic growth and development to the people.
“What is important to us as a people is that we should begin to see how we can strengthen democratic institutions and imbibe democratic culture and demonstrate same at every facet of the Nigerian society,” he emphasised.
Describing the president’s move as mere window dressing, the university teacher said the starting point of testing the sincerity of President Buhari’s claim to democratic ideals will be his approach to and actual performance in ensuring free, fair and credible general elections in 2019. He said that is the only way for the president to validate everything June 12 stands for in Nigeria and to demonstrate beyond words to the world that he has indeed taken off the democratic block.
“First of all, we want to see that come 2019, Nigeria should have another free, fair and credible elections. That will give him (Buhari) kudos that during his administration we had this kind of election. That is the starting point for us to say “well, election under your watch was free and fair. That for me, is very important,” he said.
The first time June 12 will be celebrated as Democracy Day in Nigeria will be in 2019, a few months after another general elections and just days after the inauguration of a democratic administration. The burden President Muhammadu Buhari bears as a result of his recent declaration concerning June 12, is to re-enact the 1993 experience and make it stand for the benefit of Nigeria and Nigerians. Anything less will make a mockery of all that has been said and done.

Opaka Dokubo

Politics

Senate Urges Tinubu To Sack CAC Boss

Published

15 hours ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

The Senate yesterday urged President Bola Tinubu to remove the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission, Hussaini Magaji, over what lawmakers described as a persistent refusal to appear before its Committee on Finance.

The resolution followed a motion raised by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu during a session where members of the President’s economic team were present for engagement with the committee.

Tension rose at the commencement of the meeting when agency heads were introduced and senators observed the absence of the CAC Registrar-General, who had been invited to account for the commission’s activities, particularly on revenue matters.

Moving the motion, Kalu expressed anger over what he termed repeated disregard for legislative oversight, accusing the CAC boss of consistently avoiding invitations to appear before the committee.

He said, “Since I came to the Senate, this CAC man has always given excuses that he is in the Villa or going to London. He is not above the law. This man is not coming to the Senate. Look at the ministers of finance and budget. They are both here. We summoned them and they came.

“But this man thinks he’s bigger than the Senate. We’re not going to take that rubbish again. He had refused on so many occasions to honour our invitation to appear before this committee. We have issues with the reconciliation of the revenue of CAC.

“I move a motion that the man should be reported to Mr President and ask for immediate removal because we cannot continue with him. Is that what we’re doing here? He should come and give us an account of what he had done.”

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, corroborated the concerns, pointing to unresolved discrepancies in the reconciliation of the commission’s revenues.

He noted that despite several invitations, the registrar-general had failed to show up to address the issues raised by senators.

“The registrar-general of the Corporate Affairs Commission has refused on so many occasions to honour the calls, invitations or summons of this most important committee.

“There are only about three committees that are in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Committee of Finance is one of those committees. Sections 88, and 89 have given us these powers.

“And as registrar-general, we have issues with the reconciliation of their revenue. Anytime he is invited, he will give us one reason or another, and he will send junior officers to come and talk to the Senate. That cannot be accepted,” he said.

In a further show of frustration, Senator Adams Oshiomhole proposed that the Senate escalate the matter by withholding approval of the CAC’s 2026 budget pending the registrar-general’s personal appearance before the committee.

Oshiomhole also suggested that the commission be restrained from spending its internally generated revenue without prior approval of the national assembly.

“This senate should decline to appropriate anything in the 2026 budget until we are satisfied that he has accounted for previous money and spending properly.

“And should he spend money that is not appropriated, he should be heading to Kuje prison,” Oshiomhole said.

The motion urging the President to remove the CAC Registrar-General was subsequently put to a voice vote and adopted.

The development underscores renewed assertiveness by the Senate in exercising its constitutional oversight functions, particularly over revenue-generating agencies.

The Corporate Affairs Commission, which regulates companies and business registrations in Nigeria, is a key contributor to non-oil revenue, making accountability and transparency central to its operations.

News

Amend Constitution To Accommodate State Police, Tinubu Tells Senators

Published

15 hours ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

President Bola Tinubu has appealed to the leadership of the 10th Senate to amend the constitution to provide a legal framework for the establishment of State Police to tackle insecurity nationwide.

President Tinubu made the appeal during an interfaith breakfast with senators at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, yesterday.

The president said that the creation of State Police has become urgent to address Nigeria’s evolving security challenges, strengthen grassroots policing, and enhance states’ capacity to respond swiftly to threats within their jurisdictions.

He noted that a decentralised policing structure would complement existing federal security architecture and promote intelligence-led, community-focused law enforcement.

“We are facing terrorism, banditry, and insurgency. But we will never fail to make a right response to this cause. What I will ask for tonight is for you (Senators) to start thinking how best to amend the constitution to incorporate the State Police for us to secure our country, take over our forests from marauders, and free our children from fear,” he said.

The president commended the cordial relationship between the Executive and the Senate, saying that unity is needed to defeat terrorism and banditry in the country.

“It is a good thing that we are working in harmony, we are looking forward to a country that evolves, a country that takes care of its citizens and protects all.

Tinubu thanked the Senate for its unflinching support towards achieving various economic reforms of his administration, especially the fuel subsidy removal and tax reform policy.

“I have a lot of credit for bold reforms. Without your collaboration and inspiration, those reforms would not be possible. We are reformists together. What we gave up and what we stopped is monumental corruption in the subsidy system. We don’t want to participate in monumental corruption and arbitrage foreign exchange.

You don’t have to chase me for dollars; you could see what Nigeria is today. You should be proud, and I am glad you are. What we are enjoying is a stable economy, and prosperity is beckoning us. We need to work hard, and this attendance means a lot to me,” the president said.

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, commended the president for hosting the leadership of the Senate to the Interfaith breaking of fast.

He commended President Tinubu for providing the visionary leadership the nation needs at this critical time, stating that the administration’s bold reforms have now brought more revenue to governors at the sub-national level for the development of critical infrastructure.

The Senate President prayed for the administration, and for the nation’s peace and prosperity.

Politics

FCT COUNCILS’ ELECTIONS: PDP WINS GWAGWALADA CHAIRMANSHIP AS APC SECURES AMAC, BWARI

Published

5 days ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

Alhaji Mohammed Kasim, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has won the Gwagwalada Area Council chairmanship election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Philip Akpeni, the Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced the results on Sunday morning.

Alhaji Kasim polled 22,165 votes to defeat Alhaji Yahaya Shehu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 17,788 votes.

Alhaji Biko Umar of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) scored 1, 687 to come in third place.

“I am the returning officer for the 2026 FCT Area Council, Gwagwalada chairmanship held on Feb. 21, 2026,” Akpeni said.

“That Mohammed Kasim of PDP, having certified the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”

In the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Christopher Maikalangu, the APC candidate, was declared the winner of the chairmanship poll with 40,295 votes.

Andrew Abue, the Collation Officer for AMAC, said Hon. Maikalangu, who is the incumbent AMAC chairman, was returned elected having scored the highest number of votes cast.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) came second with 12,109 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 3,398 votes.

According to Abue, the total number of valid votes in the chairmanship poll was 62,861, while the total votes cast stood at 65,197.

He added that the number of registered voters in AMAC was 837,338, while the total number of accredited voters was 65,676.

Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Mr. Joshua Ishaku of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Bwari Area Council Chairmanship election.

Announcing the result on Sunday in Bwari, the Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Mohammed Nurudeen, stated that Ishaku polled a total of 18,466 votes to emerge victorious in the February 21, 2026 poll.

“I am the Returning Officer for the 2026 FCT Area Council, Bwari chairmanship held on Feb. 21, 2026. That Joshua Ishaku, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Nurudeen said.

According to the results declared, the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) secured 4,254 votes, while the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) polled 3,515 votes to place second and third respectively.

The declaration adds to the series of results emerging from the 2026 FCT Area Council elections, as political parties assess their performance ahead of future contests.

INEC UPLOADS 2,602 OF 2,822 FCT CHAIRMANSHIP RESULTS ON IReV

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had uploaded 2,602 out of the 2,822 expected polling unit results from Saturday’s chairmanship elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as at 5:55am on Sunday, data retrieved from its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) showed.

According to The Tide source, the figure represents an overall upload rate of about 92.2 per cent across the six area councils of the territory.

A council-by-council breakdown indicates that Municipal Area Council recorded the highest number of submissions in absolute terms, with 1,309 of 1,401 polling unit results uploaded, representing 93.43 per cent.

In Gwagwalada Area Council, 330 of the expected 338 polling unit results had been uploaded, representing 97.63 per cent — the highest upload rate among the six councils.

In Bwari Area Council, INEC uploaded 463 of 485 polling unit results, translating to 95.46 per cent.

In Abaji Area Council, 129 of 135 polling unit results had been uploaded as at 5:55am, representing 95.56 per cent.

In Kwali Area Council, 164 of the expected 201 polling unit results were available on the portal, representing 81.59 per cent.

In Kuje Area Council, 207 of 262 polling unit results had been uploaded, representing 79.01 per cent — the lowest rate among the six councils as at the time of review.