General Secretary of the National Democratic Coalition, Ayo Opadokun
General Secretary of the National Democratic Coalition, Ayo Opadokun, has unveiled the names of prominent political, military and technocratic figures he alleged signed a document that paved the way for the nullification of the June 12, 1993, presidential election won by Chief MKO Abiola.
The revelation is contained in Opadokun’s newly launched 509-page book titled ‘The NADECO Story’, unveiled last week in Lagos.
In Chapter 27 of the book, Opadokun accused several leading figures in Nigeria’s political establishment of endorsing the Interim National Government arrangement that followed the annulment of the June 12 election by the military regime of Gen Ibrahim Babangida.
Among those listed as signatories to the controversial document were former Chief of General Staff, Augustus Aikhomu; former Head of the Interim National Government, Ernest Shonekan; former Senate President, David Mark; ex-foreign affairs minister, Tom Ikimi; former old Anambra State governor, Jim Nwobodo; and former Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, Musa Yar’Adua.
Others named by the NADECO chieftain included the chairman of the Social Democratic Party in 1993, Tony Anenih, Adamu Ciroma, former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, Gen Aliyu Gusau, Patrick Dele-Cole, Dapo Sarumi, Abubakar Rimi, Olusola Saraki and Joe Nwodo.
Opadokun wrote, “The big Nigerian ‘Patriots,’ who also signed the remarkable document that nailed the coffin of June 12, include people of note, who for whatever reason sold their integrity and dignity to subsume the popular mandate of MKO.”
According to the book, the controversial agreement emerged after a tripartite committee made up of representatives of the military government, the SDP and the National Republican Convention resolved to establish an Interim National Government headed by Shonekan as the June 12 crisis deepened.
“The Guardian recalls that in 1993, as the June 12 election crisis degenerated with no end in sight, a tripartite committee comprising members of the then military regime and the two political parties, SDP and NRC, buckled under the weight of pressure. They compromised and then agreed to form an Interim National Government,” the book stated.
Opadokun identified Aikhomu, who was vice president under Babangida, as the first signatory to the document.
“Specifically, the first signatory to the evil document was Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, who was then Vice President under the then military presidency of Babangida,” he wrote.
The author added that Shonekan, who later headed the ING, was the second signatory. At the same time, former Internal Affairs official Abdulrahman Okene signed on as the third actor in the arrangement.
He also highlighted the role allegedly played by some leaders of the then SDP, including Anenih, who was chairman of the party that won the June 12 election.
“Chief Tony Anenih was chairman of SDP at the time of the June 12 annulment. It was the victory of the party he led that was negotiated away,” the book stated.
On Joe Nwodo, Opadokun wrote that he was “the only political actor then who signed the June 12 historic document ‘with reservations’ under a tripartite committee set up to compromise the integrity of the best election in Nigeria’s history.”
“He did not explain in the document the significance of his remark, ‘with reservations,’” the author added.
The book further alleged that several military officers and intelligence figures also endorsed the arrangement, including Gusau, who signed as a government representative, and Mark, who at the time served at the National War College.
Opadokun also extended the “Hall of Shame” list to other political actors he accused of aiding the annulment and legitimising military rule.
He wrote, “To those above gleaned from the already identified sources, let me add to the Hall of Shame the following individuals.”
The NADECO secretary specifically accused former Katsina State governor, Saidu Barda, of threatening violence on behalf of NRC governors over any attempt to revisit June 12.
According to him, “NRC Governor Saidu Barda of Katsina State, on behalf of the 14 NRC governors, declared that any attempt to revisit June 12 would result in ‘chaos and bloodshed on an unprecedented scale.’”
He also accused former senator, Jonathan Zwingina, who served as Director-General of Abiola’s campaign organisation, of collaborating with forces that undermined the mandate.
Opadokun further blamed the late Senator Arthur Nzeribe and his Association for Better Nigeria for orchestrating legal moves that halted the announcement of the election results.
He wrote, “Nzeribe secured an extra-judicial ex parte order halting further announcement of the election results. General Babangida, in a national broadcast, cancelled the entire election and dissolved the electoral body, NEC.”
The book also accused former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief Clement Akpamgbo (SAN), of drafting decrees that allegedly legitimised the transition arrangements and protected military interests.
According to Opadokun, Akpamgbo “crafted various anti-democratic decrees to fit all dubious steps taken by General Babangida to sabotage his own transition agenda.”
The author added that Akpamgbo warned Nigerians under the ING that “any further mention of June 12 was an act of high treason.”
Opadokun also revisited the eventual emergence of Sani Abacha as Head of State following the collapse of the ING in November 1993.
According to him, Abacha “capitalised on the provisions of Section 5 Sub-Section 48 of the ING Decree 61 of 1993” to take over power from Shonekan.
The book equally referenced the later admission by former National Electoral Commission chairman, Humphrey Nwosu, that Abiola won the election with 8,323,305 votes against Bashir Tofa’s 6,073,917 votes.
“Consequently, Alhaji M.K.O. Abiola won the election, but NEC could not announce the result of the election because of the Abuja High Court order,” Nwosu was quoted as saying in the publication.
The author maintained that the June 12 election remained “the freest, fairest and most peaceful and credible election in Nigeria’s history,” adding that the annulment triggered one of Nigeria’s most defining pro-democracy struggles.
Opadokun also used the book to defend the legacy of NADECO, insisting the June 12 struggle was not a purely Yoruba cause but “a rainbow coalition of Nigerians from North, South, East and West.
“It was signed by 52 eminent Nigerians from across the country’s basic divides, be it politics, ethnicity, religion, sex and even age,” he wrote.
According to the book, 52 eminent Nigerians from across the country signed the communiqué establishing NADECO as the umbrella platform for the pro-democracy struggle against military rule.
“It was signed by 52 eminent Nigerians from across the country’s basic divides, be it politics, ethnicity, religion, sex and even age – for youths were represented among the signatories,” Opadokun wrote.
The signatories listed in the book include G.O. Dawodu, O.P. Edodo, Barber, Olabiyi Durojaiye, Chief Olusegun Osoba, John Odigie-Oyegun, Bolaji Akinyemi, Muhammed Siraj Hamza, M. Lawal Danbazau, Wahab Dosunmu, A.O. Aboyade Cole, Maj-Gen Olufemi Olutoye (retd.), Chief Sobo Sowemimo, Dr Steve Achema, Olaniwun Ajayi, Olu Falae, Jonah Jang, Abraham Adesanya, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Alao Aka-Bashorun, Emmanuel Njiwah, Chief Vincent Nwizugbo, Dr Uma Eleazu, Mrs Sarah Jibril, Air Commodore Dan Suleiman, Chief Anthony Enahoro, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Prof Anya O. Anya, Y.A. Madaki, Rev. Fr. Moses Adasu, L.E. Obiyan, Beko Ransome-Kuti and Dr Frederick Fasehun.
Others are Rev Tunji Adebiyi, Chief Ade Ojo, Chief Ralph Obioma, Sir Empire Kanu, M.O. Anyiam, Dr Sola Soile, Vice Admiral Akin Aduwo, Chief E. Duru, Bola Ige, Nick Dazang, Labaran Maku, Dr A.A. Akingba, General R.A. Adebayo, Prince Babs-Eko Oyekanmi, Alex Ayatola, Chief C.O. Adebayo, Rear Admiral Godwin Kanu (retd.), Chief Fred Agbeyegbe and Ayo Opadokun, who signed as General Secretary.
He argued that the composition of NADECO contradicted attempts to portray the June 12 struggle as an exclusively Yoruba movement, insisting that the coalition drew support from prominent Nigerians across the North, South, East and West, including retired military officers, politicians, professionals and activists.
The author described the coalition as the principal vehicle that sustained pressure on the military and eventually contributed to the restoration of democratic rule in 1999.
The book, divided into 32 chapters, documents the formation of NADECO, the struggle against military rule, and the political intrigues surrounding the annulment of the June 12 election.
Opadokun also highlighted individuals he described as heroes of the pro-democracy struggle, including the late former military governor, Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, whom he praised for supporting NADECO and resisting military dictatorship throughout the crisis.
The June 12, 1993, presidential election, won by Abiola of the SDP against Tofa of the NRC, was annulled by the Babangida military regime, triggering nationwide protests and political unrest that eventually culminated in the emergence of NADECO and the restoration of civilian rule in 1999.
The former NADECO scribe dedicated sections of the book to individuals he described as heroes of the democracy struggle, including Kanu, whom he praised for supporting pro-democracy activists during the military era.
“Kanu provided facilities and support to the group, and he gave Opadokun a hiding place when the man needed to go underground after the Abacha goons turned their searchlight on the organisation’s scribe,” the book stated.
It also highlighted several eminent Nigerians who publicly opposed the annulment and defended Abiola’s mandate during the political crisis that followed the election.
Among them was former Minister of External Affairs in the Second Republic, Prof Ishaya Audu, who declared at a pre-constitutional conference in Kaduna that annulling the election was both immoral and unjust.
“To cancel the June 12 election for whatever reason, in my view, is not only a sin against man, but it is against God. Nigeria is going to be punished for it if the issue is not revisited,” Audu was quoted as saying.
He added, “It is an issue of right and wrong; it is an issue of justice; and justice must not only be done but be seen to have been done.”
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was also quoted as initially backing recognition of Abiola’s mandate before later changing his position.
“Bashorun Abiola won the election because Nigerians from the North, the Middle-Belt, the East and the South-West supported him. Nothing should be done to alienate substantial sections of the North, the Middle-Belt and the East in the skirmish for the mandate as it would be self-defeating,” Obasanjo reportedly said.
Nigeria’s first President, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, also condemned the annulment, questioning the legality of stopping the announcement of results after the election had been adjudged free and fair.
“Did NEC say the election was not free and fair? Is NEC the authority for conducting the election? If NEC has decided, has anyone the legal authority to overrule NEC?” Azikiwe asked.
He warned, “Unless there is a law, which we do not know, that gave somebody authority to override what we know, I am afraid we may be plunged into darkness.”
Former military governor, Rear Admiral Kanu, also backed Azikiwe’s position, saying, “Not to hearken to the advice of great minds is to opt for smallness, for debasement. Not to heed the wisdom of The Oracle, The Sage (Dr Azikiwe), is to fight against unity.”
Similarly, former civilian governor of old Imo State, Dr Sam Mbakwe, was quoted as saying at the Former Governors Conference in 1994 that the country’s lingering political instability was rooted in the annulment of June 12.
“The root cause of this problem, and indeed all other problems in this country since last year, is June 12. No matter how we abhor it, no matter how we would want to run away from it, it would remain with us,” Mbakwe said.
He added, “Until we sincerely go back to June 12 and resolve it, we will continue to suffer its effects.”
Opadokun further noted that organised labour unions and civil society groups held several meetings and passed resolutions insisting on the restoration of Abiola’s mandate and a return to democratic rule.
He particularly praised the late former President, Muhammadu Buhari, for officially recognising Abiola’s victory decades after the annulment.
According to him, Buhari’s June 6, 2018, declaration of June 12 as Nigeria’s Democracy Day and the posthumous conferment of the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic on Abiola permanently altered the historical narrative surrounding the election.
“Inevitably, several irrepressible factors, including President Muhammadu Buhari’s June 6, 2018, recognition of June 12 as Democracy Day and the conferment of the highest national honour of GCFR on Bashorun Abiola, will eternally shame the Judases, be they dead or alive,” Opadokun wrote.
He also commended several Igbo leaders whom he described as credible supporters of the June 12 struggle, including Rear Admiral Kanu, Abdulaziz Ude, C.C. Onoh, Chuba Okadigbo, Uma Eleazu and Guy Ikokwu.
The former NADECO scribe argued that attempts to justify the annulment of Abiola’s mandate through ethnic or historical grievances remained “a national tragedy” that would continue to haunt those involved.
The Punch
