News
Nigeria can now move on! *Abiola’s family speaks on IBB’s apology
With the public apology by Ibrahim Babangida, owning up and taking responsibility for the saga occasioned by the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election the family of Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, on Friday announced a closure on the sad event and encouraged all Nigerians still hurting from the sad incident to move on as individuals, groups and even as a nation.
The message was conveyed by Abdulmumuni, son of the late business magnet and politician, who has now been acknowledged as the winner of the controversial election, by the same Babangida, who, as Military President, nullified the election, midway into the announcement of the results, a development, which led to the sustained crises that eventually led to the death of the billionaire businessman.
A guest of The Morning Show, a breakfast programme on Arise News Television, the scion of the late the man popularly known as MKO, and first son of Kudirat, his second wife, who was equally brutally assassinated while campaigning for the revalidation of the election and her husband being handed over his mandate, though acknowledged that nothing could repair the damage made to the family and the nation, it would be fruitless for Nigeria to continue to bewail the incident from the same spot.
Babangida, whose eight-year rule as military leader was heavily damaged by June 12 saga, while speaking at the launching of his book – A Journey in Service, in Abuja, on Thursday – while acknowledging that Abiola truly won the election, though attributed his inability to take power to a pushback by some forces in the military, led by General Sani Abacha, his second in command, took full responsibility for the annulment, as head of the government.
Declaring Thursday’s outing as not new given that not only the family but Nigerians actually were abreast of the fact that his father won, he said the only thing new was IBB’s acknowledgement, which many had waited over the years and since it had been obtained, there should be a closure for Nigerians to move on using the declaration as part of the tools towards nation-building.
Hear him: “At the age of eight, I knew my father had won even before the result was announced. I think most people in the country had the information that Abiola had won the election. I think the second point was more important – the acknowledgement that he felt remorse for the action he had taken and also the expression that if he had the opportunity to do it again he would take a different path.
“I think at this point that we should understand that we’re human and as humans we’re given to errors. What need to do is acknowledge when we make those mistakes and seek forgiveness. I think, for me, that was more of important – that he expressed remorse to the decision he earlier made. Like I said, June 12, 1993 election, was won by my father and I knew this and most Nigerians knew.
“I think this was good, because once he announced it, he had put the matter to rest. The issue is that he was the Head of State at the time and now that he has announced that Abiola won that election, he has basically put that matter to rest and anybody that was on the fence to the fact that I had known to be true all my life will now also know that Abiola won that election.
“We can talk about Abiola as the figurehead of the June 12 election, but what we need to understand is that Nigerian people were the ones who gave him that mandate and they were the ones who believed in his vision. This is also a healing to the Nigerian people as well to hear the Head of State at the time say those words.
“I think I know what was lost. I basically became an orphan based on that event. But you see, my father had always been the one to turn the other cheek. He talked about forgiveness, he talked about forgiveness not necessarily for the perpetrator’s sake but for your sake, so that you can actually move on. And I think that like this was traumatic for the Abiola family, but it was also traumatic to the Nigerian people as well.
“The future was uncertain for Nigerians and we lost a lot of great Nigerian people who felt that Nigeria was not redeemable and they left the country. There was a lot of brain-drain at that period as well. I know there was a lot of traumas. But I don’t think that there is anything that could be said or done to alleviate that stress. But what I’m trying to say or do in my life especially in moving forward is you can’t change the past but you can focus on the future.
“We can see how to use this anger, hurt and frustration in a way that is productive and move the nation forward. I think we can all sit here and talk about what has gone wrong, but we have a nation to run and we have issues that are pertinent at this time. My father was a messenger and we also had the message and I think the message is still an enduring one now.
“We must not dwell in the past, but on what we can control, and that is the future and where we’re going. My father had a vision and a passion for this country and I think it is important that there sacrifice is not in vain. I cannot be discussing my father’s sacrifice all the time, especially as he had a vision and he had hope for Nigeria.
“We may talk about my father and my mother, but there were Nigerians who lost limbs, lost means of livelihood like companies – people who were known supporters of my father lost most of their companies. I just know it was a traumatic period for all Nigerians. For me, I think we’ll always do ourselves a disservice if we dwelled on hurts. We need to now see how we can turn the page and put Nigeria first.”
Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has given assignment to Nigerians to put all those aspiring to take up political positions in the country through the grill to ascertain their level of integrity, saying it was required as a sine qua non for the job they seek.
Obi, who has been a subject of discussion in the polity since the allegation of corruption was levied against him by Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesman of his campaign in 2023, over the conduct of the party’s primaries to choose candidates for the 2027 general elections, said the grilling must start with his own person.
A guest in an interview on a podcast with Rufai Oseni, a popular television anchor, the former Governor of Anambra State, stated that it was actually for this reason that he had now sworn to see the litigation he instituted against Okonkwo through.
His take is that the Nollywood actor should use the courtrooms to give all the details of bad behaviour, following his threat to expose him fully, after alleging that he was collecting money from aspirants in the said election for electoral favours.
Hear him: “The issue of taking Kenneth Okonkwo to court wouldn’t have arisen if he had stopped at those allegations. But he claimed he still has more he would expose about me in the future. So, I am very happy to take him to court so that he can expose me publicly, alongside other Nigerians. If any of them has any criminal allegations against me, they should bring them to court.
“Not just Kenneth, everybody should now say those things they know that is bad about me or I did that is wrong because it’s good for the system, it’s good for the society,” Obi said.
“So, if you know that when we were in primary school, this man was cheating or didn’t go to the primary school, didn’t go to secondary school, didn’t do, if you know this man has done something criminal somewhere, this is time to bring it up.”
For the umpteenth time, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned about the dangerous implication of using state institutions, particularly the judiciary to destroy Nigeria’s democracy, saying it is an ill-wind that blows nobody any good.
Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), speaking on the heels of Tuesday’s verdict of the Court of Appeal, halting the de-registration order by the Federal High Court, insisted that judicial officers must not lend themselves to any act capable of undermining the nation’s democratic process.
The appellate court had ordered a stay of execution on the order made on Monday by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court Abuja, for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC alongside four other political parties).
A totally scandalised Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, had taken umbrage, sparing no hard words in upbraiding the lower court judge, stating that his likes were unfit to sit on the bench.
In a unanimous ruling by a three-man panel, the court held that Lifu’s action was “the highest form of judicial impertinence”, stressing that the Supreme Court previously held that a judge who acted in such a manner.
Describing his conduct as the height of judicial rascality, the upper court, stated: “Courts are enjoined to protect their integrity. This Court has supervisory authority over the trial court.
“The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is a brazen violation of the hierarchy of the court and the 1999 Constitution.
This court has the duty to invoke its powers in ensuring that its orders are obeyed. The application for a stay of execution is here yet granted. The enforcement of the judgment is stayed.”
Atiku, who hailed the position of the higher court, which restored his hope to be on the ballot as presidential candidate in the 2027 election, also noted the role of INEC as “significant.”
He said: “I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgement seeking the deregistration of our great party, the ADC, and four other political parties. It is particularly significant that INEC itself initiated the application for the stay.
“The development reflects growing public concern over judicial contradictions and politically charged rulings within the judiciary. “Any attempt to undermine Nigeria’s hard-won democracy through judicial manipulation is a grave danger to the Republic. If our democracy suffers further injury, history will demand accountability from those entrusted with dispensing justice.
Outside ADC, Lifu’s order, also included: Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), similarly slammed for allegedly failing to meet the constitutional requirements for continued registration and participation in elections.
“He is running in contempt of the court. Justice Lifu should be arrested because he is acting in contempt of the court which is a criminal act,” were the exact words with which the African Democratic Congress (ADC), demonstrated its angst over the court ruling on Monday, ordering its de-registration as a political party in Nigeria.
A furious Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the party, told his host while appearing as a guest on Monday’s edition of Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television that the judge of the Abuja Federal High Court who gave the order was actually playing with fire because of the consequences.
Directly accusing him of playing the script of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to ensure that President Bola Tinubu emerged the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election, the party spokesman, was emphatic that the plan would not work, as head or tail, ADC must be on the ballot in all the elections.
Hear him: “There is a Court of Appeal order saying don’t hear this case until October 27. So, on what basis? You can’t place something on nothing. The Court of Appeal said don’t act on this until I hear it on October 27. So, on what basis did he deliver the judgement
“So, for us in the African Democratic Congress, what we’re convinced and they know is what they have done has no leg to stand on legally. What they want to do is to create doubts in the minds of the people that this ADC has too many legal cases, can we actually run on this? And to distract us. But we’re not distracted.
“We’re very clear. It was in spite of all they have done since ADC came on board that we ran one of the best and one of the most comprehensive direct primaries in the history of democracy in Nigeria. So, we are strong enough to withstand this. And that’s why I’m saying that we are going to contest in 2027. We’re ADC. We don’t buckle before dictatorship.”
Stressing on the implication of the judgement, which also affected Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for allegedly failing to meet constitutional and electoral performance requirements, following a suit by the National Forum of Former Legislators, he said it portended grave danger.
He added: “We are not surprised. We know that the Nigerian people believe that there is a problem with the judiciary, but what we did not expect is the level of judicial rascality that was demonstrated today.
“What we are saying is that we reject it in its totality, and we are saying that the people behind this are playing with fire. Hundreds, if not thousands, have obtained nomination forms and contested elections and emerged as candidates on the platform of the ADC.”
-
News4 weeks agoBREAKING: US-Nigeria troops slaughter 175 ISWAP fighters
-
Columns4 weeks agoDear General Gowon: That apology you’re running from is your nemesis
-
News2 weeks agoBREAKING: Terrorists strike Ibadan again! Abduct ex-Minister’s sister, twin children
-
News4 weeks agoBREAKING: Wait over! Arsenal are CHAMPIONS! Win EPL after 22 years hiatus
-
Columns3 weeks agoSee Tinubu’s terrible damage on Option A4 and its precious memories
-
News4 weeks agoBREAKING: Jonathan emerges presidential candidate *Gets automatic PDP ticket!
-
News2 days agoBREAKING: Troops rescue wife of kidnapped General! *Terrorists flee scene
-
News4 weeks agoPresidency: Obi met all requirements – NDC *Cleared to contest primaries