As June 12 is observed today as public holiday by states in the South West Region of the country to mark Democracy Day, some people in Akwa Ibom State have lent their voice for the Federal Government to set up an independent panel of enquiry to determine the circumstances surrounding the death of M. K. O. Abiola.
Abiola, the presumed winner of June 12 presidential elections, died in 1998 after he was alleged to have drunk tea in a meeting called for aggrieved partied to reach truce and to accept conditions for his release.
Last week, President Muhammadu Buhari in a press release, had announced June 12 as Democracy Day to replace the May 29 Nigerians have hitherto been celebrating and conferred a posthumous award of Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON) on Abiola.
Speaking Tuesday, the analysts on a privately owned radio, Comfort FM, Uyo reasoned that the panel would unravel the circumstances behind the sudden death of the man who passed away the day he was expected to be released from prison by the Federal government.
One of the analysts cited that Abiola’s doctor claimed that his principal woke up hale and hearty in the morning and left for the peace meeting only for him- the doctor- to be told later in the day that the presumed presidential winner had passed on.
The analysts concluded that raising the panel to probe the death should be done in the context of finding justice, noting “This would enable the spirit of June 12 to rest in perfect peace.”
Though they praised Buhari for recognising June 12 as Democracy Day and conferring awards on some people adjudged as heroes of June 12, they gave a backlash to the President for non-conferment of award on Professor Humphrey Nwosu, the then chairman of National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON) appointed by the then ex-president Ibrahim Babangida as the election’s umpire.
The people recalled that there were several attempts to abort the election and several threats from different quarters for Nwosu to stop the conduct of the election even to stop announcing the result of the election.
The analysts specifically mentioned Association for Better Nigeria (ABN) fronted by Senator Arthur Nzeribe that got court injunction that truncated the announcement of the result together with pressures from the military junta and persons to stop declaring Abiola a winner of the election.
