As fresh disclosures continue to trail the June 12, 1993 presidential election which was comfortably won by Chief Moshood Abiola, the best way to attach more significance to that defining moment is to name the day after the man who never lived to enjoy his accomplishments

Moshood Abiola Day should, as a matter of national urgency, replace the present tag associated with that day in history when Nigerians voted with their conscience, not minding tribe, tongue and religion.

Who would believe that a Yoruba presidential candidate could defeat a Fulani in his Kano backyard? President Bola Tinubu was part of the struggle that followed the withheld June 12 presidential election.

He has also benefitted bountifully from these two and half decades of uninterrupted democracy, rising from governor to national leader and now Commander-in-Chief.

Tinubu should improve on President Muhammadu Buhari’s gesture that recognised Abiola as a president that never was, a development that earned the late flagbearer of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) the national honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR). Abiola is dead but he remains an eternal hero, who united Nigerians and broke boundaries. As a Muslim, he chose a fellow Muslim, Babagana Kingibe, as vice presidential candidate.

There were no noisy hisses. Tinubu may yet recover from the decision to toe the Abiola line by choosing another Muslim and Kanuri, like Kingibe, Ibrahim Shettima, as his running mate in the 2023 elections.

There were so many waivers for Abiola by patriotic Nigerians who saw him as a man of the people. With 197 chieftaincy titles conferred by nearly 70 communities, it was little surprise that he coasted home to victory without having to bribe voters or commission thugs to snatch and run away with ballot boxes. Outside Nigeria, Abiola held his ground.

The global black community identified with his call for the imperialists who impoverished Africa to pay reparations for their obnoxious policies. In Uganda, he was held in awe for playing a part in the emergence of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as president. However, it was in sports that Abiola, ‘the Pillar of Sports in Africa’, shone the most.

Beyond sponsoring a couple of football clubs, he donated the CAF Cup in 1992, at the Confederation of African Football Conference in Dakar, Senegal. In a colourful ceremony, traditional dancers from Nigeria accompanied the multi-billionaire to the venue. The uncommon love for people earned Abiola the people’s mandate at home, in 1993.

June 12 should be changed to Moshood Abiola Day in Nigeria. The billionaire politician changed the face of our politics

Mention is made of a remote part of Abia State, the home town of Uwadiegwu Ogbonna, of Concord newspapers, owned by the politician.

The women were presenting their cultural dance to the public. They sent an invitation through their son, Uwadiegwu, a Civil War combatant who fought on the side of Biafra. Abiola received the invitation. They were certain he would not make the journey.

The best he could do was to send a cheque through his worker. When the event was held, there was no word from Abiola. Uwadiegwu was worried.

No cheque to support the women. And just as they were approaching closing remarks, the big masquerade appeared. The excitement could be felt in Abeokuta. On June 12, 1993, those local villagers all trooped out to vote. Many had never done it before.

Their candidate was the man who left his comfortable home in Lagos to identify with their cultural dance. That was part of what gave Abiola votes in places that even his opponents did not expect.

He dined with Christians during Yuletide, wined with the rich, mingled with Muslims and danced with the women.

The man was all over the place and gave his all. Unfortunately, the people’s votes were discarded by his friend, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida who has now publicly admitted his mistake in annulling the elections.

And Babangida’s course mates, Sani Abacha and Abdusalam Abubakar, made sure Abiola remained in detention until death in June 1998. While we blame the military, we must also condemn some of Abiola’s kinsmen who turned against him.

Ernest Shonekan willingly accepted to head an Interim National Government (ING) powered by Babangida. Politicians like Lateef Jakande, Ebenezer Babatope and Olu Onagoruwa later took up ministerial appointments in the military arranged contraption.

As we celebrate Abiola, two names that must never be forgotten are, Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, Chairman of the Electoral Commission and Justice Dolapo Akinsanya, a Lagos High Court Judge.

The former, an Igbo, was bent on announcing the result, with Abiola as clear winner. The latter, a Yoruba, ruled Shonekan’s ING, illegal.

Nwosu and Akinsanya are late now. However, they will continue to serve as a model to our judges and electoral umpires. In 2023, the judiciary did not leave any positive impressions.

There were cases of professors receiving tips to influence election results. Every third of January is celebrated in the United States as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He took human rights activism to greater heights.

June 12 should be changed to Moshood Abiola Day in Nigeria. The billionaire politician changed the face of our politics. This act, if approved by Tinubu, may to a large extent, help in recognising a president chosen by the people. (New Telegraph Editorial)