Nigeria would have been in her 20th year since the birth of 4th republic today, 12th of June 2013, but it was aborted by the IBB Junta; nevertheless, the 12th of June is marked with public holidays in Lagos and Ogun States Annually. Some other western State reminisce the event nostalgically with lectures, symposiums and debates on what Nigeria could have been, and what it could still be using the 1993 election as a parameter. For the record, I would State, in concordance with the analysis of international electoral monitoring teams, that the 1993 elections was fairest and most credible elections Nigeria has ever had.

The man under the limelight on an auspicious day as this is Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, Otherwise known as chief MKO Abiola, who is one of the martyrs of Nigeria’s Democracy, A former business tycoon and a philanthropist. MKO Abiola was the undisputed winner of the 1993 elections. Abiola died under suspicious circumstance shortly after the death of General Sani Abacha. He died on the day he was due to be released, July 7th 1998. In order appease the Westerners and to supply a substitute, Obasanjo was picked from prison and furnished with all the resources needed for campaign, endorsement rather, to emerge as the first president of the fourth republic. For all we know, the same international power mongering camarilla that was behind Abacha’s death (which to me, in all sincerely, was quite timely) was also behind Abiola’s questionable death. It is still fresh in our memories that MKO Abiola was visited shortly before his death by an American delegation that included Susan Rice among others, who were suspected to be the masterminds of Abiola’s death. The postmortem result showed that MKO Abiola died of heart failure, but we know better that: What else would explain a heart failure amidst such cheering news of Abacha’s death to MKO? I believe that even if he was at the brink of his last breath, that wide ray of hope was enough to rejuvenate him instantly. In place of MKO Abiola, we were given a more loyal western puppet, Obasanjo.

Nigeria would have been in her 20th year since the birth of 4th republic today, 12th of June 2013, but it was aborted by the IBB Junta; nevertheless, the 12th of June is marked with public holidays in Lagos and Ogun States Annually. Some other western State reminisce the event nostalgically with lectures, symposiums and debates on what Nigeria could have been, and what it could still be using the 1993 election as a parameter. For the record, I would State, in concordance with the analysis of international electoral monitoring teams, that the 1993 elections was fairest and most credible elections Nigeria has ever had.

The man under the limelight on an auspicious day as this is Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, Otherwise known as chief MKO Abiola, who is one of the martyrs of Nigeria’s Democracy, A former business tycoon and a philanthropist. MKO Abiola was the undisputed winner of the 1993 elections. Abiola died under suspicious circumstance shortly after the death of General Sani Abacha. He died on the day he was due to be released, July 7th 1998. In order appease the Westerners and to supply a substitute, Obasanjo was picked from prison and furnished with all the resources needed for campaign, endorsement rather, to emerge as the first president of the fourth republic. For all we know, the same international power mongering camarilla that was behind Abacha’s death (which to me, in all sincerely, was quite timely) was also behind Abiola’s questionable death. It is still fresh in our memories that MKO Abiola was visited shortly before his death by an American delegation that included Susan Rice among others, who were suspected to be the masterminds of Abiola’s death. The postmortem result showed that MKO Abiola died of heart failure, but we know better that: What else would explain a heart failure amidst such cheering news of Abacha’s death to MKO? I believe that even if he was at the brink of his last breath, that wide ray of hope was enough to rejuvenate him instantly. In place of MKO Abiola, we were given a more loyal western puppet, Obasanjo.

If we look critically, Abiola and Obasanjo had so many things in common and that probably must have informed the cabal’s choice for Obasanjo after Abiola’s death; both Abiola and Obasanjo hail from Ogun State, they attended the same secondary school – Baptist Grammar school in Abeokuta, while in that school, Abiola was the editor-in-chief of their school Magazine (the trumpeter) and Obasanjo was his assistant. Both men share almost the same circle of friends, they are considered legends in their own right and are being celebrated by the Yoruba nation. Abiola and Obasanjo are also polygamists, and quite frankly, they share a remarkable degree of resemblance. Both of them are philanthropists but one of them exhibits more philanthropy than the other, you can guess which. In any case, their generosity has earned them over 20 traditional titles each and multiple awards that they have lost count. Both men have been wrongly convicted and sent to prison for crimes they did not really commit.

On the other hand, Abiola proved to be more academically sound. He bagged first class honors degree in Accountancy from the University of Glasgow, Scotland. He also received a distinction from the Institute of Chattered Accountants of Scotland. Academically, not much is said about Obasanjo since he completed his Military school in Kaduna. Chief MKO Abiola had been a politician and an entrepreneur right from the sixties even up to his death, whereas Obasanjo was a military man cum politician/businessman. Abiola was a Muslim though he was not keen about religiosity but Obasanjo appears to be an ‘ardent Christian’. Perhaps the most distinguishing politically ideological difference between the two was that Abiola was more of a socialist while Obasanjo was a capitalist. Abiola was sensitive to the yearnings of the masses and that bought him an unwavering support from all the commoners within the federation, Obasanjo was brought in for the sake of democracy in 1999 and was controversially elected, or appointed himself in 2003.

While I am not an adherent of ‘Democracy day celebration (because I feel it should be encapsulated in the Independence Day), I believe the June 12 remembrance is more justifiable being the day Nigeria was denied the right to have a saner and more purposeful people-minded democracy. Obasanjo arbitrarily picked May 29th to be remembered as ‘Democracy Day’ because he was the one who was handed the democracy baton. If he or Abdulsami Abubakar had been a little more patient and waited fourteen days longer, June 12 would have been our democracy day, and as such, it would have had more significance, thus avoiding the May 29th parody.

By Bizum Yadok

Bizum is a political and social affair analyst who writes for ViewPointNigeria from Jos.

He can be reached at [email protected]

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Between Abiola and Obasanjo: The Democracy day mistake by Bizum Yadok