The Pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, on Tuesday, called on President Bola Tinubu to declare the late winner of the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, as president posthumously.
Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Justice Faloye, announced this in an interview, echoing Senator Orji Kalu of Abia State’s earlier appeal on Tuesday.
“We support the proposal. We actually discussed and came to the same resolution in our monthly meeting held on Tuesday.
“(Former President Muhammadu) Buhari had already given Abiola a GCFR (Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic) award, which is meant only for Presidents. If Tinubu could go further, it would be a welcome rectification of a historic political injustice,” the Afenifere chieftain said.
Earlier on Tuesday in Abuja, Kalu, representing the Abia North Senatorial District, urged President Bola Tinubu to declare Abiola Nigeria’s President posthumously as a tribute to the winner of the June 12, 1933 presidential election.
Kalu’s statement comes only days after former military President Gen. Ibrahim Babangida declared that Abiola won the 1999 presidential election, which was deemed the most free in Nigerian history.
Babangida made the revelation last week at the publication of his memoirs, ‘A Journey in Service,’ 32 years after the election was nullified.
On June 12, 2018, Nigeria’s immediate-past president, Muhammadu Buhari, bestowed the highest award, Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, on the late Abiola, a move welcomed by pro-democracy activists around the world.
Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, told journalists at the National Assembly Complex on Tuesday that Abiola’s achievement should not be forgotten and urged President Tinubu to step up where his predecessors had fallen short.
He said, “Yes, Abiola won the election. And I will say President Tinubu should declare him a president posthumously.”
Kalu praised former President Buhari’s initiatives in bestowing a posthumous national award to Abiola but emphasized the need for additional acknowledgment.
“Since Abiola won, his picture should be placed among Nigeria’s past presidents. I commend former President Buhari for giving him a national honor, but I also appeal to President Tinubu to officially recognize him and place his image where it belongs. This would help bring succor to his family.”
Giving his view on Babangida’s memoirs, which were released last week, Kalu challenged the ex-military tactician with writing a second volume, stating that a single volume was insufficient to tell Babangida’s narrative.
“I look forward to the second edition of Babangida’s book because the first did not reveal all the realities. I was present during the events of June 12, and I know what happened. Babangida should call out the names of those responsible for preventing the election’s declaration,” Kalu said.
He criticized the ethnic label applied to the 1996 coup headed by the late Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, stating, “The coup in question was not an Igbo coup; it was a Nigerian coup, executed by the military.”
In what looked to be an endorsement of Tinubu for a new four-year term in the following election cycle, Kalu stated, “Yes, Asiwaju will win in 2027.” “Asiwaju should continue.”
He further noted that history has proven that even Presidents accused of poor performance have returned for a second term in power, urging Nigerians to be patient with Tinubu’s reform plan.
Expressing confidence in Tinubu’s chances, Senator Kalu stated, “We are appealing to Nigerians to be patient with the reform process. We are not looking for another presidential candidate outside our party. We are fully aligned with our democratic principles, and we are supporting the sitting president.
“The good news is that we will win again in 2027. The president will return, and Nigerians will celebrate with us. That is inevitable.”
Meanwhile, Mashood Erubami, a human rights activist, urged President Tinubu to publicly accept Abiola as the true victor of the June 12, 1993 presidential election and to ensure that Abiola’s photograph is exhibited among prior presidents in government offices.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Erubami emphasized the importance of this recognition, citing Babangida’s recent admission that he incorrectly nullified the June 12 election.
“The current president, having heard directly from the man who annulled the June 12 election—who has now publicly admitted to subversion—should be emboldened to declare Chief MKO Abiola as the rightful and globally accepted winner of the election,” Erubami stated.
“His portrait should thereafter be appropriately placed among those of past presidents in state and national government offices, serving as a testament to his victory and to the unwavering struggle of Nigerians for the de-annulment of the election.”
