This post will offend many, so I apologize in advance. My purpose is to teach history and tell the truth of what happened and how it happened.
June 12 1993 election has often been bandied as the freest and fairest election in the history of Nigeria. That is an outright lie. It wasn’t close to it. The conduct of the election on that day was free, yes, but was the process fair? Can we judge an election only on how the main day of voting went? Absolutely not.
This is the real story.
General Ibrahim Babangida set up 2 political parties which every one was forced to join, NRC and SDP. No one could form any other party, you had to join the one formed and named by the military dictator. This was the first and only time this had happened in the history of Nigeria. The military write the party constitutions and their manifestos, appointed their senior party officials, provided funds and even built their party offices.
Politicians being who they always are kept quite and joined. Pro democracy activists described the process as fraudulent and protested against it.
It was the first and only election in the history of Nigeria where some qualified Nigerians were banned from contesting. General Ibrahim Babangida grouped some politicians in Nigeria and denied them their basic human right of contesting election in their country. He described them as ‘Old breed politicians’. This was also the first time this had happened in Nigeria.
August 1st 1992, the presidential primaries of the NRC and SDP held. The military cancelled it.
Another held in September and Presidential Candidates for both parties emerged. The military cancelled it again. Another date was announced. All 23 politicians from both parties who earlier contested were banned from participating in the election process again. Every politician of weight was kicked out. Then MKO Abiola emerged.
It was after these military manipulations and bans that June 12 1993 election held. With the ban on eligible candidates, the annulment of previous primaries and the manipulations of the military, can we honestly say it was a fair election? I say no it wasn’t.
For the avoidance of doubt, the entire process including the election of June 12 was heavily condemned by pro democracy activists in Nigeria.
I leave you with some historical notes from the book ‘Soldiers of Fortune’ by Max Siollun. Make up your mind.
Happy New Democracy Day!
This view is strictly mine.
Ken Henshaw
