June 12 Crises and the Nigerian State Flashcards
June 12 Crises and the Nigerian State
This was the Climax of political intrigues and manipulation embarked upon by General Babangida in his quest to perpetuate himself in power by turning from a military to civilian president.
Chief M.K.O. Abiola was the SPD presidential candidate while Alhaji Bashir Tofa emerged the NRC flagbearer.
Unofficial result of the election gave victory to Abiola in an election which was regarded as a departure from the past troubled and turbulent electoral history which encouraged ethnicity and violence.
Abiola made history to have won the majority in Northern and middle - Belt states apart from a marginal victory in the South-East.
Despite all these facts, General Babangida annulled the election on the pretext that it was characterised by legal controversies.
The annulment generated the feeling of apathy and lethargy towards the political system, especially among the people of the South-West.
June 12 Crises and the Nigerian State
Interest groups and the civil society both within and outside the country condemned the annulment in strong terms and General Babangida was compelled by unfavourable public opinion, and pressure within the military to hand over power to a hurriedly packaged Interim National Government (ING) headed by Ernest Shonekan.
Mr. Shonekan’s ING lacked political power and legitimacy as well as all sense of vision and mission.
Consequently, the ING was declared by the Federal High Court in Lagos as illegal while General Abacha moved very fast to remove the illegality called ING in November 1993
The Nigerian State was the great casualty as the Yoruba dominated South-West felt that the annulment had an ethnic dimension to it.
The lgbo’s of the South-East showed indifference to the struggle for the actualisation of the June 12 mandate.
Feelings amongst the mainstream Hausa - Fulani political structure was not in favour of the de-annulment.
Thus, a cause which was supposed to be have been fought in unison by the political class was taken up by the South-West under the umbrella of National Democratic coalition (NADECO) with only marginal supports from the other ethnic groups in the country.
For this, Nigerian spent another five years under a most draconian and mean military junta of General Sani Abacha.
