As loyalists of the late politician, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, who was presumed to have won the annuled June 12, 1993 presidential election, prepare to mark the 15th anniversary of the annulment, former military Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar yesterday said that it was high time the people of the country forgot the issue and focus on ways of accelerating the socio-economic growth of Nigeria.
Abubakar stated this in Shonga in Edu Local Government Council Area of Kwara State where he had gone to inspect the New Nigerian Farms being operated jointly by the state government and White Zimbabwean farmers.
According to him, “We cannot keep crying over the issue, it has happened and all we need to do now is to concentrate on moving the nation forward.”
He said : “It has been 15 years now, we should move forward... June 12 issue is a recurring decimal and the sooner Nigerians kept it behind them and move on, the better for all of us. We can’t continue to look at that all the time .”
The June 12, 1993 presidential election was annuled by former military President, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida 15 years ago under controversial circumstances. Following widespread protests against the annulment, Babangida later 'stepped aside' for an Interim National Government(ING) headed by Chief Ernest Shonekan .
The ING was eventually overthrown by late Gen. Abacha who also arrested Chief Abiola for allegedly declaring himself president . Abiola was incarcerated for five years and eventually died in detention just about the time his release was being negotiated after meeting with a delegation headed by former United Nations Secretary General, Dr. Kofi Annan in Abuja .
General Abubakar was one of the beneficiaries of the annulment as he took over power following the sudden death of Abacha on June 8,1998, few days after Abiola's death.
Meanwhile, Campaign for Democracy (CD) has suggested, in a statement, that the late Chief M.K.O Abiola be declared President posthumously.
Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential poll. Dr Joe Odumakin, the group’s President, who signed the statement yesterday in Lagos, called on the federal government to settle the ``June 12 impasse'' by recognising Abiola as the winner of the election.
“Abiola was the acclaimed winner of the election even without a complete result. We urge the government to release the full result for posterity,'' he said.
Odumakin said: ``Recognising Abiola as President will go a long way in compensating his family and Nigerians for his death.''
He called on the government to set up a judicial commissionn of inquiry into Abiola's death in the interest of justice.
He said June 12 represented ``a new turn and a future for the country'' and called for the observance of the day as the country's Democracy Day instead of May 29.
The CD appealed to the government to take steps to sanitise the country's electoral process to avert a recurrence of the June 12 annulment.
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