National Democratic Coalition on Tuesday said those who connived with
the military to annul June 12, 1993, presidential election reportedly
won by business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, were still in government.
Chairman, NADECO, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (retd.), stated this during
the 19th anniversary of June 11, 1994 Epetedo Declaration by Abiola.
Kanu, in a speech entitled '19 Years After the Epetedo Declaration:
Where is the Sovereign Power of the People?', said, "Many who connived
with the clique in those debasing and disenfranchising years are in
power today, even masquerading as champions of democracy.
"Such people include those who chaired Abiola's winning party, the
Social Democratic Party, now today sitting atop party's board of
trustees.
"Some reign at the pinnacle of the legislative arm of government in
Abuja. There are numerous others in the arms of government and even
among the progressives, who ought really to search their conscience, if
the survival, well-being and progress of Nigeria is truly in their
agenda."
He restated the call for a Sovereign National Conference, saying the
conference remained the panacea for the country's socio-economic and
political development.
He said the 1999 Constitution was imposed on Nigerians in utter negation
of their sovereignty.
Another NADECO leader, Chief Ayo Opadokun, urged pro-democracy groups to
do more to liberate the country.
He said, "We need to do more than we are doing. We need to get ourselves
organised in our streets, wards and various levels and constitutionally
engage those in power that have turned us into servitude.
"This is a country that exports what it does not have and imports what
it has. Nigeria has oil, yet the leaders are importing oil for domestic
use. Statistics available to me is that over 18 million graduates in
Nigeria are jobless. This should not be if those in government could
block wastage and eradicate corruption."
A lawyer, Fred Agbeyegbe, spoke on the need and modalities for an SNC,
saying the conference was the business of Nigerians.
Also, Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State described the proscribed poll
as a watershed in the annals of the country.
He said the supreme price paid by Abiola, could not be forgotten.
In a related development, the Osun State government has declared
Wednesday (today) a public holiday in commemoration of the anniversary.
A statement by the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy,
Chief Sunday Akere, on Tuesday, said symposia, rallies and a documentary
on the life of Abiola would mark the event.
Meanwhile, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has said May 29, which
the Federal Government branded Democracy Day, lacks the credibility of
the June 12 presidential election, won by Abiola.
Soyinka stated this in a statement on the 20th anniversary of the June
12 election on Tuesday.
He said, "We need to remind ourselves what June 12, 1993 represents. It
is neither mere date, nor sentiment. It is simply - Human Spirit. What a
futile undertaking it is then, when some individuals attempt to deny or
crush it. Yet it was the power of this very spirit that brought such
out of relegation or obscurity, even from the jaws of death, and
bestowed upon them relevance and prominence.
"What June 12 possesses is exactly what May 29, or any other day, lacks.
The former was a spirit of unified purpose, the latter simply an
egotistical appropriation of the gift of the former. June 12 embodies
unity of purpose, equity and justice, the manifestation of the sovereign
will of a people. It remains forever a watershed of Nigerian history,
no matter what the future holds.
"I urge you to try a simple experiment: narrate the story of May 29 to a
child and watch his or her reaction. On that day - that child would
concede - an individual was installed as a compromise president
following a compromise election. So, what is new?"
Soyinka added, "Now move on to unfold the tapestry of June 12. Run your
finger along its traceries of citizen resolve, upheavals, of individual
and group heroisms, of sacrifices and martyrdoms, the timeless narrative
of human resilience. Watch the difference in that child's responses.
Yet, even the beneficiaries of that day persist in their futile effort
to kill the date and supplant it with another. Why should we be
surprised?
It is that unprincipled game of substitution that they have carried even
to subsequent elections, substituting names of the rightful winners of
elections with others who were never even in contention. "It is this
same mental compulsion that moves them to attempt to rob even a calendar
date of its significance, its history, its potential for character
formation and sense of national formation - and transformation.
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