HALLUCINATING JUNE 12
THERE WAS JUNE 11BEFORE JUNE 12!!
By Sule Lamido
Somebody sent me the text of the speech delivered by President Tinubu on the occasion of our Democracy Day celebration in memory of June 12
As i read through the speech, I started becoming bemused with the contents, and as i went on reading, I began to feel giddy. By the time I finished reading the speech, I became aghast with the distortion, mutilation, and falsehood contained therein all in an effort to deconstruct and reconstruct the narrative of the actual history of June 12.
It is important from the on set to give the background of the transition program set by President Babangida so as to understand that the whole program was not designed to succeed! So many landmines were planted along the path of the transition as:
1) Decree 25, which banned all politicians from 1983 to participate in the transition.
2) An unambiguous statement by President Babangida that he did not know to whom he would hand over to but was clear to whom he would not.
3) The two political Parties, SDPand NRC, were not sovereign but 100% owned by the government, including the provision offices, vehicles, and financial resources! Even the constitutions of the Parties were written by government
4) The two parties were conjoined under the authority of Air Marshall Ibrahim Alfa and administrated each equally by government appointed officials, Air Marshall Shekari for SDP and Mrs Okunnu for NRC. Senior government officials were also appointed to run the affairs of the Parties from the State to the local government levels.
All these landmines were effectively used to control and sift out those who would at all levels take charge of the Parties when Congresses were held. I at that time pointed out at a press conference that there was a lacuna in the transition.
And true to my observations, as the transition unfolded those perceived to be deviants were after winning their Party primaries for governorship, annulled for no just reason and their party being government owned could not save them That was the first kite flown at the micro level that set the ground for the yet to come mega annulment.
When the Presidential Primaries for two parties were held, they were also annulled. From the foregoing, it was clear that the transition was doomed to collapse. So when Abiola emerged from out the blues to run and win the June 12 election there were elements who inwardly were shocked by his huge fortune but were, quietly supportive but loudly opposing the June 12 annulment namely:
1) The Yoruba powerful cultural group called Afenifere will for life never forgive Abiolo for demystifying their leader Pa Awolowo by the Concord newspaper on Moroko, and I thinkDiyedolu estates exposure. I therefore think they were more concerned with the victory than the Victor, throw the baby away, but keep the bathwater! (My opinion). Among the notable Yorubas, only Jakande and Babatope were visible.
2) The Presidential aspirants of the SDP, Yar’aduwa and Falaye, who saw their sweat and toil been snatched away!
3) To some extent, the NRC who lost the election to SDP who will be more than happy the election was annulled.
4) The nationwide organized solidarity with Babangida, the biggest one organized Lagos Market Women Association
I have taken time to give this background so as to give a clearer understanding of issues and the intricacies surrounding June 12
Now, back the speech of President Tinubu. It must be clearly be understood that there was June 11 before June 12! All the heroes listed in the speech, none but a very few were in SDP on June 11. In the campaigns we undertook in all the States of the Federation none of these were there, Babagana Kingibe can attest to this. All of these have no idea how Abiola defeated Bashir Tofa in Kano and even at his polling unit. Abiola swept all the States in North as opposed to their son Bashir Tofa. He virtually won ALL the State in Nigeria. The June 12 was a National voice and resolve and a National aczcomplishment. The elements in NEDECO simply snatched away the finished product at the end of the mill and in so doing sectionalized and trivialized and diminished an otherwise National sacrifice bereft of today’s religious, regional, ethnic and ephemeral politics especially EMOLUKUN claim.
I have taken time in my memor coming out shortly to extensively address the issues surrounding 12. What I penned down here is a very short effort to draw attention to the intended attempt to rewrite history before it sinks in.
It is obvious the change of the Democracy Day celebration like the National Anthem is part of running battle to entirely settle personal scores. The office of the President should not be dragged that low!
All those mentioned in the President speech belong to the ‘Sidon look’ group! No amount deconstruction and reconstruction to stand history on its head can bury the truth.
Was the President really reading a speech or hallucinating????
