Mixed reactions continue to trail the President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-invalidation of June 12 presidential elections presumably won by the late M. O. K . Abiola but was truncated by the then military junta.
In this vein, a Nigerian university don has reminded military despots and apologists of June 12, 1993 presidential elections that nemesis cannot be averted by bribery or by divine retribution wished away by lip service.
This came on the heels of a statement further collaborated by Prince Williams Akporeha, President of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, indicated that ”Without contradiction, the democracy Nigeria enjoys today did not come on a silver platter, the leadership of these Unions as well as our members fought for it, in some instances with our blood, tears, freedom, career and regrettably some paid the supreme price.
“These fearless and irrepressible Nigerians gave their all to earn the country democratic liberty.”
To drive home his message, he submitted that ”For pecuniary and other reasons, some other Nigerians pitched their tent with the tyrannical military regimes, but our leaders were resolute and blatantly refused to compromise or to receive any form of gratification, despite intimidation, victimization, harassment and incarceration by the military despot.”
Dr. Nsikak Idiong who teaches at the Department of Communication Arts, Unìversity of Uyo, also threw barbs on those who truncated the June 12 election, but the emergency beneficiaries used their hands to destroy the mandate freely given by Nigerians.
“In an act of desperate political revisionism and in a shameless display of tokenistic appeasement, the same powers that benefited from the annulment of Nigeria’s freest election, the same persons who did nothing to resuscitate the June 12 mandate while the holder of the mandate was alive and languishing in Abacha’s gulag…
According to him, “the same cheerleaders who have been leading the recent campaign to rehabilitate and canonize the despotic arch-enemy of the June 12 mandate, those selfsame folks are now purporting to honour the icon they maligned and to uphold the ideal they desecrated!”
The senior lecturer who wrote this on his Facebook page noted “They forget that nemesis cannot be averted by bribery nor divine retribution wished away by lip service.”
Even Femi Fani-Kayode, a one-time minister of Aviation who had earlier hailed President Buhari on recognition of June 12 as Democracy Day turned back to lampoon the President on the posthumous award.
According to him, “The award of CGFR to MKO Abiola by @MBuhari and the declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day is a classic case of cunning, self-seeking and evil man doing the RIGHT thing for the WRONG reasons.
He, therefore, appealed to Buhari administration thus “If you really want to win the hearts of Nigerians beg for forgiveness and resign.”
In another development, President Muhammadu Buhari has invited Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Femi Falana, to the conferment of posthumous Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on the late Chief MKO Abiola.
Both men were key players in the June 12 struggle.
This was contained in a statement issued Friday on Twitter, Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
All Governors elected under the Social Democratic Party of Nigeria (SDP) platform, are also invited to the investiture scheduled to take place on June 12, 2018, at the State House, Aso Rock Villa in Abuja.
This invitation follows the announcement of June 12 as Democracy Day and National Holiday by the Federal Government.
Chief Gani Fawehinmi will be honoured as the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) and Ambassador Babagana Kingibe with the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).
The families of the late MKO Abiola and Chief Gani Fawehinmi as well as Ambassador Babagana Kingibe were also invited.
