1993,2023: IS NIGERIA'S FUTURE TRAPPED IN ITS PAST .. BEWARE THE IDLES OF MARCH IN THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY.

30 years ago, these men and  a woman played ignominious role in the affairs of Nigeria. Their actions and pronouncements led to the abortion of an electoral process: the June 12,1993 election widely believed to have been won by the late Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola.

A seemingly innocuous platform, ( look at the name) Association for Better Nigeria, ( ABN) with late Arthur Nzeribe and Abimbola Davies ( where is that character now?)  as arrowheads of that sinister group, sought a court injunction to stop the conduct of the election.On the eve of the process, June 11,1993, the late Justice Bassey Ikpeme in defiance of  ouster clauses in existing Military Decrees gave an order,  restraining the electoral body,  the National Electoral Commission,(NEC) under the leadership of Professor Humphrey Nwosu from proceeding with conduct of June 12,1993 election!

Chief Abiola, the candidate of the defunct Social Democratic Party was coasting home to victory having won in 14 states in then existing 30 states before Justice Dahiru Saleh of the FCT High Court in another 

 breach of the ouster decrees,  granted another order- stopping further announcement of the election results.

According to the late Justice Saleh, his Order  was hinged  on a midnight ruling on June 11, 1993 by Justice Bassey Ikpeme, which held that the election should not have taken place in the first place.Justice Saleh  order was however  in total  disregard of the Electoral Commission’s pending appeal against Justice Ikpeme’s obnoxious injunction.

The mastermind of the whole  macabre drama, who was funding Arthur Nzeribe's ABN ,  General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida had relied on Justice Saleh's declaration to make a formal announcement of the June 12 election annulment,  on behalf of his Supreme Military Council.Bashorun MKO Abiola died on July 7, 1998 while still in detention after he was arrested by the military regime of late General Sani for declaring himself President in what is now called the Epetedo Declaration.

Those with the conviction that history is a vicious cycle, ( what Professor Wole Soyinka called "the vicious cycle of human  stupidities")  are really not bemused about recent chain of events in our country in the last one week.Few days to a general election  and three decades after June 12 annulment, another set of self willed, remorseless  individuals in the corridors of power are pushing a coordinated plot to subordinate the rest of us to their narrow interest... Say NO to lnterim government and drug lord being elected as a President of Nigeria in 2023. 

Comrade Olufemi Aduwo