BY EDMOND ODOK – With the echoes of stunning revelations from former Military President General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida’s (IBB) memoirs still reverberating on Nigeria’s political scene and beyond, the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, says an official declaration of late Chief MKO Abiola, winner of the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election, as President post-humously is long overdue.
Speaking through its National Publicity Secretary, Justice Faloye, in a media interview, Afenifere said; “We support the proposal. We actually discussed and came to the same resolution in our monthly meeting held on Tuesday.
The Group’s latest position is coming on the heels of an earlier call on Tuesday by the former Governor of Abia State and Senator representing Abia North Senatorial District in the 10th National Assembly (NASS), Dr Orji Uzoh Kalu.
According to the Afenifere’s spokesperson; “(Former President Muhammadu) Buhari had already given Abiola a GCFR (Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic) award, which is meant only for Presidents. If Tinubu could go further, it would be a welcome rectification of a historic political injustice”.
Faloye spoke against the backdrop of Afenifere’s demands that Abiola must be posthumously accorded all privileges and recognitions befitting a legitimately elected President, noting that IBB’s public admission of Abiola’s victory, did not absolve him and his associates of the irreversible damage the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election had caused.
An earlier statement signed by the group’s Organising Secretary, Kole Omololu, said the consequences of the annulment of the election by the IBB administration led to the assassination of Kudirat Abiola, Alfred Rewane, and several others.
“His belated acknowledgement that the election was indisputably free, fair, and credible merely reaffirms what Nigerians have known for over three decades that Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola was the rightful winner of that historic election.
“However, this long-overdue confession cannot exonerate Babangida and his associates from the monumental betrayal inflicted upon the nation. It does not restore the lives lost, nor does it atone for the enduring scars of oppression, bloodshed, and the suppression of democracy. The consequences of that reckless annulment remain irreversible.
“The Yoruba nation, and indeed all Nigerians, bore the brunt of Babangida’s self-serving power grab. His decision plunged the country into chaos and ushered in an era of state-sponsored terror against democracy activists, pro-democracy media, and innocent citizens who dared to demand justice.”
“Many distinguished Yoruba sons and daughters suffered grave injustices exiled, imprisoned, or tragically eliminated—under the despotic military regimes of Babangida and Abacha, which were determined to silence the will of the people.”
Recalled Senator Kalu, who served as Abia State Governor from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007, has urged President Bola Tinubu to declare Abiola Nigeria’s President posthumously, to honour his memories as the winner of the annulled June 12, 1933, presidential election.
The call by Senator Kalu came just days after former Military President, the man popularly called IBB, openly acknowledged that Abiola won the 1999 presidential election, adjudged the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s political history.
Addressing journalists at the National Assembly Complex on Tuesday, the lawmaker, who is the Chairman of the Daily Sun and New Telegraph newspapers, maintained that Abiola’s feat should not be consigned to the dustbin of history.
In demanding that President Tinubu act where his predecessors failed, the former Governor said; “Yes, Abiola won the election. And I will say President Tinubu should declare him a President posthumously”, even as he commended former President Buhari for conferring a posthumous national honour on Abiola.
He also stressed the need for further recognition saying; “Since Abiola won, his picture should be placed among Nigeria’s past Presidents. I commend former President Buhari for giving him a national honour, but I also appeal to President Tinubu to officially recognise him and place his image where it belongs. This would help bring succour to his family.”
Expressing his views on the released Babangida’s memoirs, Senator Kalu tasked the Army General to come up with a second volume, noting that a single volume was not enough to tell his story.
“I look forward to the second edition of Babangida’s book because the first did not reveal all the realities. I was present during the events of June 12, and I know what happened. Babangida should call out the names of those responsible for preventing the election’s declaration,” Kalu said.
He also dismissed the ethnic tag on the 1996 coup led by the late Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, stating thus; “The coup in question was not an Igbo coup; it was a Nigerian coup, executed by the military.”
On the 2027 general elections, the Chairman of SLOK Holding, in a seeming endorsement of Tinubu’s second term in office, said; “Yes, Asiwaju will win in 2027. Asiwaju should continue. We are appealing to Nigerians to be patient with the reform process. We are not looking for another presidential candidate outside our party. We are fully aligned with our democratic principles and we are supporting the sitting president.”
Noting that Nigeria’s history is replete with situations where even Presidents accused of non-performance returned to office for a second term, he urged Nigerians to be more patient with Tinubu’s reform agenda, adding; “The good news is that we will win again in 2027. The President will return, and Nigerians will celebrate with us. That is inevitable.”
