June 12, 1993 presidential election: Mr. Probity: Echoes of heritage, beats of resilience

…Says annulment of election big minus for him

• Demands entitlements given to former presidents be extended to Abiola

• Says coast now clear for President Tinubu to make necessary atonement

By Christy Anyanwu

Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Ganiyu Adams is an activist, politician, and traditional aristocrat. Adams in this chat with Sunday Sun reacted to General Ibrahim Babangida’s (rtd) pronouncement during his book launch last week that the late Bashorun MKO Abiola won the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election. Excerpt:

I know you’re one of the June 12 faithful. How did you feel when you heard General Babangida recent pronouncement about the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election?

We thank God that the truth has prevailed at the end of the day. IBB was Commander-in-Chief, he organised the election, the election was held in his regime and now he is saying that Abiola won the election and that it was free and fair. At the same time, we have to commend General Babangida for the courage that he said the truth before God asked him to leave this life. But what I couldn’t believe in his book was where he said that Abacha was the one that annulled the election, that he did not have knowledge of it, and that he was in Katsina when they announced, when Humphrey Nwosu stopped releasing the result of the election. I think even in civilian government, a minister cannot stop an election without the knowledge of the Commander-in-Chief or the president. Even the vice president cannot stop an election results that were being released by the INEC chairman without the order of the president. Now, even talking of the military regime, the word of the Commander-in-Chief in the military regime is final. So, I don’t believe in that part. But by and large, the General has agreed that Abiola won the election. I think it’s left for the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to do something tangible for the family of MKO Abiola. Ordinarily, if Abiola  had been sworn in as a president, he would be entitled to some benefits as a former president. And if that benefit cannot be given to his family on his behalf, the Federal Government should do something because in the struggle to become a president, his businesses were ruined. Where is the Concord Airline, where is the Concord Newspaper, where is the Abiola Bakery, where is the Summit Oil, and where is Abiola Bookshop, where is the bank that he has the lion’s share in it? Does these businesses exist anymore?  So, in the process of contesting the election that was annulled, his business empire crumbled? And his family, we can’t even say they are in disarray.  I don’t think his Will has been read out up till now. Even  some of his children are not living to the standard of the middle class again like when their father was alive. The kind of loss of the Abiolas is enormous. We are talking of his investment, talking of his dear wife, talking of even Abiola himself, his sacrifice for the democracy we are enjoying now. I think the Federal Government should do something on the basis of giving him a posthumous award or that a certain remuneration should be given to his family as a former president. The coast is clear for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to do that now. If Babangida could write it in his book, not verbal words, Abiola won the election. So, the only way they can correct the injustice is to make sure that he should be recognized not only by the posthumous award given to him by President Muhammad Buhari, but also some certain benefits should be given to his family, like they give to former presidents. This is very important, some smile should be put on the faces of the Abiola’s family so that they can have some sense of belonging that their father did not die in vain. Although President Muhammadu Buhari has done his own part by giving a public holiday for June 12, the public holiday for June 12 goes beyond the Abiola family. It’s the day the election held that a lot of activists sacrificed for June 12 to be re-annulled, but the issue of the family has to be compensation. Entitlement given to the former presidents should be given to Abiola. The coast is clear with this confession from the book of the former president, Ibrahim Babangida, that he won the election. So, something should be done in that regard. And more monuments should be named after him. Though the monument cannot heal the wound totally, but he will still do some part of healing the wound.

June 12 is now Democracy Day, is it enough to atone for this act meted out to the late Abiola, for what happened on June 12?

It’s only God that can compensate the family of Abiola, the old man sacrificed for the entire nation. And not only him, but even his dear wife, the late Kudirat Abiola. But in this situation, naming some monuments after him will reflect in the minds of people as an everlasting memory. It’s very important.

So, I believe that the president, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu should do something more to ease the wound of the family. 

Past heads of state, many influential Nigerians were there to honour Babangida, but some felt they shouldn’t have gone for that book launch knowing full well the havoc of June 12, what’s your take on that?

We can’t blame them. Like I watched this billionaire in the East, an oil magnate that gave Babangida N500 million, what is the name? He said openly that Babangida made him. So, I give it to him, Babangida would have been one of the best presidents if he did not annul the June 12 election. Because people perceived by then that Babangida did not always eat alone. He made his own money in the government. He allowed people to make money in the government. Even though it’s not the right way of running governments. But they believed that he made many billionaires when he was in government. It cuts across the entire six geo-political zones of Nigeria, although there was no zone like South-south, Southeast, Southwest when he was in power. But he made sure that he touched the lives of many people.  Before he clocked 80 years and before launching his book, he had always been a rallying point in Nigerian politics. There is no major president who will not visit Babangida when an election is coming. So, there is no major president who will not visit him on a courtesy visit before the day of the election. And if he is celebrating the wedding of his daughter or son, you will see the entire Nigeria will be flying to Minna. So, he’s a former president who still has a grip and influence in Nigeria and people still respect in Nigeria. Because the impression people have is that within eight years of his regime, he made a lot of people, people became billionaires. So, those who are radical believe that based on what he did on June 12, they will not like the way they were serving him. But those people that he made and that still need him for their future ambitions, will still go there and celebrate him. And don’t forget, he is a former president. So, a former president clocking 80 and writing a book, so all former presidents have to be there and the sitting president has to be there, especially since the event was held in Abuja. The political class will not forsake him, they will still respect him more because he still has influence on the politics and on the power play in Nigeria.