Sowore said this on Monday as the country marked the June 12 Democracy Day to commemorate the 1993 election won by Abiola but was nullified by the then military leader, Ibrahim Babangida (IBB), who also arrested and imprisoned Abiola, leading ultimately to his death.
The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 general elections, Omoyele Sowore, has said that though June 12 is Nigeria’s Democracy Day in honour of Late MKO Abiola, Nigeria has not yet attained real democracy.
Sowore said this on Monday as the country marked the June 12 Democracy Day to commemorate the 1993 election won by Abiola but was nullified by the then military leader, Ibrahim Babangida (IBB), who also arrested and imprisoned Abiola, leading ultimately to his death.
It would also be recalled that in 1993, as the President of the University of Lagos Student Union Government (ULSU), Sowore at a press conference in Lagos tackled Babangida and the military junta he (Babangida) led to immediately release the remaining results of the “watershed” June 12, 1993 presidential election which was adjudged the best democratic election in Nigeria.
Sowore noted that Babangida didn’t however listen and his office was consumed by the fierce struggle that followed.
Recall that reacting to the seizure of the election results in June 1993, university students under the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) broke their silence on the impasse over the presidential election as they called on Nigerians to resist forces bent on extending military rule.
It was reported that the call was made in separate reactions came from the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), the University of Lagos Students Union (ULSU), the Obafemi Awolowo University Students Union (OAUSU) and the Bayero University (Kano) Chapter of the National Association of Political Science Students.
According to media reports, NANS said in the 1993 statement issued by its then Secretary-General, Mr. Adagba Onoja, that the political deadlock was deliberately created by a few privileged individuals who, for their selfish interests, vowed to truncate democratic process.
Specifically, the University of Lagos Students, who condemned the impasse in strong terms, gave the government 24 hours to release the suspended results.
As the University of Lagos Students Union Government President then, Sowore while addressing the press in Lagos, warned against disbanding the two political parties or cancelling the results, saying such step would throw the nation into “the most protracted, complex and dangerous civil unrest ever.”
Sowore had urged the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity to impose severe sanctions on the present administration, if it fails to hand over by August 27, 1993.
He appealed to members of the armed forces, the police and the judiciary to maintain their integrity by supporting the citizenry they have sworn to protect.
Also in 2018, while expressing profound preference for June 12 as Democracy Day for Nigeria during one of his presidential election campaigns, Sowore said, “He won’t even remember Abiola. Instead of choosing June 12 as Democracy Day, he went and created his own May 29 as Democracy Day.
“When your man comes to power next year, June 12 will become Nigeria’s Democracy Day. We are taking back our democracy day. Take it back.”
A few days after Sowore promised to make June 12 Nigeria’s Democracy Day if elected to power, the immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari, declared June 12 as Democracy Day for Nigeria.
While reflecting on Monday, Sowore added, “I must state that the real Democracy is not yet here.”
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