Late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola was larger than life in his lifetime and was a legend whose rags to riches story rang more like a fairy tale. Against all odds, he rose from biting poverty to be one of the greatest Africans in his generation who had a gargantuan impact and the Midas touch.
He was one of the wealthiest men in the country before his 40th birthday and he felt the only thing left was to become the nation’s President to give an official stamp to his private philanthropy.
He established the Concord Newspapers in 1980 primarily for his presidential ambition and used it to wage a battle with the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo who also nursed a similar ambition. Historians and political pundits will recall an expose article written by the then Editor of the Sunday Concord, Dele Giwa captioned ‘Papa’s Land’ where the alleged capitalist bent of Awolowo who surreptitiously sold himself as a socialist was made known.
In 1979, when democracy returned after a thirteen year military hiatus, he pitched his tent with the conservative National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and became the Ogun State Party Chairman. He attempted to send his first wife, Simbiat to the Senate and spent about ten million naira for that purpose though he lost the election to the rival Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) – the party of Awolowo which had a sturdy foothold in the state.
He made his first attempt at the Presidency in 1983 but the then Minister for Transport and Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce on the distribution of rice, Alhaji Umaru Dikko clearly told him that the presidency was not for sale. In frustration, he quit the party.
There were strong allegations that he was behind the coups that truncated the Second Republic and the one that brought his friend, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida to power in 1983 and 1985. He once had an adage which he made popular ‘If you want to kiss somebody, you get close to him, if you want to slap someone, you get close to him.’
There was pressure both from home and abroad for Babangida to hand over power to a democratically elected government. He initially planned to succeed himself as a civilian president in a similar manner with which many African dictators did but he read the ominous signs and shelved the plan.
In 1989, IBB as he was fondly called put the machinery in motion for the country’s return to democracy by setting up two government owned political parties – Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Republican Convention (NRC). Many politicians showed interest especially in the presidency. The likes of former Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, erstwhile Chief of Staff Supreme Headquarters, Major-General Shehu Musa Yar’adua, former Lagos State Governor, Lateef Kayode Jakande, former finance minister, Alhaji Adamu Ciroma etc showed interest in succeeding IBB.
IBB proved to be a master dribbler living up to his self named sobriquet ‘Maradona’ by his continuous banning and disqualification of many politicians. He banned the aforementioned calling them ‘corrupt old breed.’ Abiola saw an opportunity to clinch the presidency after their banning but his late wife, Simbiat warned him against it. After her death in 1992, he decided to throw his hat in the ring.
The military establishment didn’t give him a chance and even saw him as a comedian who would soon lose steam. He faced stiff opposition from Ambassador Babagana Kingibe and Atiku Abubakar, a protégé of Shehu Yar’adua for the presidential ticket. Yar’adua gave a condition that Atiku should be his running mate as the condition for backing his candidacy but the SDP Governors backed Kingibe and arm twisted Abiola to accept him as his running mate. In the end, he chose Kingibe and won the primaries at the Jos convention.
His campaign took him to the length and breadth of the country and he used expert public relations to sell himself as a Man of the People despite his association with their military oppressors. His opponent was the little known businessman, Alhaji Bashir Tofa from Kano State. Abiola regaled the electorate with his struggles with poverty and his robust plan for getting the nation out of the economic woods for good.
June 12, 1993 was fixed as the Election Day and the results showed that Abiola was leading in 19 states including in Kano the home state of his opponent. Then the unthinkable – IBB annulled the elections adjudged by election observers as the freest and fairest of all elections conducted in the history of the country.
IBB had bitten more than he could chew and there were massive protests against his sinister regime. Despite the bullets by the blood thirsty soldiers, rallies against his continued stay were held and in the end he was forced to ‘step aside’ and handed over to an Interim National Government (ING) headed by former United Africa Company Chairman, Chief Ernest Shonekan. He didn’t last beyond one hundred days in office before General Sani Abacha deposed him in a palace coup on November 17, 1993.
Abiola didn’t take the annulment lying low and fought tooth and nail for his mandate. He escaped to the United Kingdom and sought audience with the West. When nothing came out of his efforts, he returned to the country and declared himself President in 1994 which made Abacha lock him up. While in prison, he was given the opportunity to renounce his mandate in exchange for freedom. He vehemently held on to it. He faced many betrayals from his supposed former party men. His running mate, Kingibe was a minister in Abacha’s government and distanced himself from the struggle. Chief Tony Anenih, the SDP National Chairman was a roving apologist for the Abacha regime. Chief Ojo Maduekwe of the SDP had become an Ambassador Plenipotentiary for the murderous regime. He also suffered the misfortune of losing his wife, Kudirat Abiola who was killed on June 4 1996. She was in the forefront for the actualization of his mandate. Despite all these trials, he refused to bow to the easy way out of renouncing it and living a ‘peaceful’ life.
After Abacha’s death, there was hope of his being released but he died in suspicious circumstances barely a month later allegedly in the presence of US Diplomats Susan Rice and Thomas Pickering.
After his former school mate at Baptist Boys High School, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo became President in 1999 in compensation for his demise, he refused to recognize June 12 for the eight years he was in power despite all pleas for him to do so as he was the greatest beneficiary of the bloody struggle.
Thankfully, President Muhammadu Buhari finally recognized the day and changed the democracy day from May 29 to June 12 and gave it the due recognition that it deserved.
We hope our present day politicians learn the salient lessons of June 12 and entrench good governance which was a core ethos of what Abiola lived and died for. In the midst of the current massive unemployment, insurgency, insecurity, banditry, haven’t we made a cruel mockery of what Abiola stood for in his belief for better governance through democracy?
On this day this year, there is the need for sober reflection by all Nigerians and we hope that his labour wouldn’t be in vain.
Tony Ademiluyi is a member of the Editorial Board of Daily Independent and the Co Founder of The Vent Republic Media
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