President Post-Humously

Suggesting the way forward for Nigeria’s current political and electoral predicament, he said there is the need to entrench in the constitution those appropriate electoral reforms of the past that worked and that enjoyed the confidence and acceptance of generality of Nigerians. June 12 1993 Presidential election, he said, laid a strong foundation for democracy in Nigeria. It was on this ground, he insisted, “the real Democracy Day in Nigeria should be June 12 1993 and not May 29 1999″. Prof. Nwosu, said though he knew that Abiola won the election, his hands were tied as he could not continue to announce the election result following a court order served on the Commission by an Abuja High Court on 15 June 1993, “which NEC through its Director of Legal Services challenged at Kaduna Federal Court of Appeal… and then came the dissolution of NEC on June 23, 1993″.

Personalities at the book launch were largely the opposition, as the ruling party and major characters billed to attend shunned the well publicised occasion. President Umar Yar’Adua, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, Chief Ernest Shonekan, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma and Alhaji Aliko Dangote were names that conspicuously made the cover of the 16-page programme of events, but they all failed to turn up. While Yar’Adua was billed to be the Special Guest of Honour, IBB, Shonekan, Danjuma and Dangote were to be Guest of Honour, Chairman, Chief Launcher and Co-Launcher respectively. Taking a swipe at the Prof. Maurice Iwu-led Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof Nwosu said: “You don’t take exam and score yourself. What Prof. Marice Iwu did after the 2007 general election [was] giving himself a pass mark after an exam.” Unlike April 2007 general election, Nwosu said the June 12 1993 election was adjudged by national and international observers as the freest, fairest, most peaceful and credible election in Nigeria’s history. The 392-page book which was reviewed by Prof. Adele Jinadu, no doubt has a missing link. Prof Nwosu spoke of pressure mounted on IBB to annul the election. On page 315 of the book, he writes: “It is therefore apparent that some military colleagues of the President who in the first instance were against the conduct of June 12, 1993 presidential election and who where outwitted by the combined efforts of the President and ourselves (NEC), during the NDSC meeting of June 11, 1993 caused the election to be annulled. They were propelled to act on June 23, 1993 when they realised that as a result of the court action taken by NEC at the Court of Appeal, Kaduna, that [NEC] had already succeeded in getting accelerated hearing fixed for June 25, 1993.” However, Nigerians would want to know who these military colleagues were. Prof. Jinadu, the book reviewer, also wondered why the list of these colleagues is missing in the book, 15 years after. This may just be the first chapter of a real book that will capture the comprehensive characterisation of the 12 June 1993 election. Professor Nwosu may have tactically passed the ball to IBB’s court.