June 12: Contrition, politics and posturing
The recent Press Statement signed by President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) announcing that June 12th would now be the new Democracy Day, and that MKO Abiola, Gani Fawehimi and Babagana Kingibe would be given national honours has generated mixed reactions. It’s only decent to first respect that of the Abiola Family. Hafsat Abiola-Costello who amongst all […]
The recent Press Statement signed by President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) announcing that June 12th would now be the new Democracy Day, and that MKO Abiola, Gani Fawehimi and Babagana Kingibe would be given national honours has generated mixed reactions. It’s only decent to first respect that of the Abiola Family. Hafsat Abiola-Costello who amongst all of MKO’s children has most visibly carried the torch over the years, said that words can’t express how happy the family feels. That aside, PMB’s supporter praise the statement as a welcome development, and his critics dismiss it as a desperate political calculation ahead of the 2019 elections. It was peculiar to say the least that the “Press Statement” was signed by PMB himself.
This was quite inappropriate. Every President has a Press Secretary and it’s simply a demeaning breach of protocol for a Commander-in-Chief to sign such documents. The leader of Afenifere Chief Ayo Adebanjo reacted by saying that PMB’s statement, though belated, was a welcome development. Perhaps the willy old political warhorse recognised that its implications had clearly not been thought through. He urged the Federal government to yield to calls for restructuring which according to him is what June 12th stands for! Former Chief Justice of Nigeria (2006 – 2007) Alfa Belgore, who also Chaired the 2016 National Honours Committee reacted by pointing out that the awards to MKO and Gani are illegal because under the 1963 National Honours Act posthumous awards are reserved for soldiers or other servicemen killed in the line of duty.
Furthermore, the propriety of the award to MKO is questionable because, the title of GCFR is an honour reserved for Presidents of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As it stands, unless the National Honours Act is amended, the June 12th 1993 election results must be formally announced and gazetted before Abiola’s name can be included in the list of past presidents and the GCFR award conferred. If this happens, then would MKO’s opponent be denied his constitutional right to appeal? Seizing the opportunity to stir up more controversy the Senate asked INEC to announce the June 12th 1993 election results in detail.
Some commentators reacted to the statement by claiming that it wasn’t motivated by contrition, but was more about taking a swipe at two of PMB’s biggest critics; Olusegun Obasanjo (OBJ) and Ibrahim Babangida (IBB). OBJ tried to craft himself as the father of modern Nigerian democracy and failed in his bid to extend his tenure. He created Democracy Day more as a celebration of himself, than of any belief in the tenets of democracy. Riding roughshod over the Constitution he entrenched a previously un-heard of degree of corruption, and dug the nation into a hole from which the current administration is still trying to extricate it. With this announcement OBJ’s only legacy to democracy is the massive PDP financial and political corruption.
IBB on the other hand has been quietly reminded that he should hold his peace because at the end of the day the buck stops at his table. He is responsible for the mess the nation finds itself in as a result of the June 12th fiasco. As for wider motives, it’s also indisputable that the APC has lost support in many parts of the country particularly the South West, and something needed to be done to slow down and arrest all the negative narratives. But questions are still being asked as to why if the statement is part of a well thought out plan and not simply a panic measure, was no reference made to MKO during the recent Democracy Day celebrations?
It still isn’t clear why the exit of the military adventurists in disgrace should be celebrated when the main actors escaped punishment. Although in general the statement has been praised, it’s not difficult to understand why there is widespread condemnation for including Abiola’s running mate Kingibe in the national honours list. He was a traitor to democracy. While Abiola’s wife was brutally murdered, his business destroyed and he died in detention refusing to give up their mandate, Kingibe treacherously abandoned his mandate and settled for ministerial appointment under Abacha. The whole affair lends credence to the belief that in Nigeria heroism is overrated (Abiola), villainy is relative (Abacha), and cowardice is a virtue (Kingibe).
Even though critics dismiss handing out posthumous awards and changing Democracy Day as electioneering, which will neither improve Nigeria’s GDP nor improve the poor security situation, the fact remains that there is never a bad time to do a good thing. All said and done no matter the motives, technicalities, politics or posturing surrounding the issue one thing is for certain PMB has done what IBB, Abacha, Shonekan, Abdulsalam, Obasanjo, Yar’adua and Jonathan failed to do.