Today is 28th anniversary of the June 12 election, adjudged by many to be the most transparent in Nigeria’s history. As Nigerians reflect on the significance of the day which was only recently in 2018, renamed Democracy Day by President Muhammadu Buhari, I reflect on the speech that annulled the election.
Benjamin Disraeli said: “With words we govern men.” But often, words have been disingenuously employed for the deceit of man. The speech that annulled the June 12 election consisted of 2983 words. It was tergiversation in its ugliest form, verbosity without veracity.
Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education, in an email interview, called it “the waffling speech”, saying: “I rated it one of the most deceitful speeches ever written at that time. The inconsistencies and patchiness of that verbose speech came from the difficulty President Babangida had in disproving that the June 12 Presidential elections that he annulled was anything transparent, free, fair and therefore credible.”
Yet the annulment speech began with: “Fellow Nigerians, I address you today with a deep sense of world history and particularly of the history of our great country.”
Indeed, history was made as an estimated 14 million Nigerians put aside their habitual ethnic and religious sentiments to settle for the Muslim/Muslim ticket of the Social Democratic Party featuring Moshood Abiola and Babagana Kingibe.
Continuing, former military President Ibrahim Babangida said: “I feel as I believe you yourself feel, a profound sense of disappointment at the outcome of our last efforts at laying the foundation of a viable democratic system of government.”
It was subtle use of deception and manipulation that failed to woe the weary. Riots broke in many parts of the country.
As Ezekwesili narrated: “I was in my office on Broad Street on that fateful day of June 24, 1993 when then Military President Ibrahim Babangida announced the annulment of the June 12 election. As a first time voter, I was excitedly looking forward to my candidate winning the election and so the annulment was utterly shocking. Distressed by the sad turn of events, I called my husband who calmed me down and advised early departure from the office because he was certain there would be a riot.”
Prof. Ben Nwabueze, legal luminary said: “The annulment of the June 12 Presidential election plunged the country into what is indisputably the greatest political crisis in its 33-year life as an independent nation.”
So how did the press and Nigerians unravel the annulment speech?
Ezekwesili answered: “The most effective counter to deceptive communication whether long or short – is to consistently present the verifiable facts of every issue in focus. Evidence-based reporting by the media, civil society and individuals go a long way to triggering critical thinking on the part of the reasonable public. Presenting as much data as possible to counter a deceitful communication can help people immediately find the holes in what they read or heard.”
Babangida wants Nigerians to believe his administration pursued sound and justifiable policies and programmes of reform.
However, in the opinion of Dr. Joe Abah, former Head of the Bureau for Public Sector Reform, Babangida’s legacy was located in the elevation of deception to state policy.
“He oversaw the destruction of certain values and social norms, under him, the difference between right and wrong became blurred. Having an education was no longer the route to a decent life. Hard work, honesty and trustworthiness became things to ridicule. I think the effects of these attacks on our values and morals have shaped the kind of society we have today, in a different way from other sad and unfortunate episodes in our history.”
It is a damming verdict for the self-styled “Evil Genius” who proudly adorned the name “Maradona” for his ability to deceive Nigerians.
Nigerian leaders have long history of disproving the harsh realities faced by their compatriots. Babangida was no exception. Always, there were two economies, the one on paper, enjoyed by leaders and one endured by the people.
As part of the annulment speech, Babangida stated: “Let me also express my deep conviction that the core strategy and structures of our reform policies and programmes, as enunciated in 1986/87 would, for a very long time, remain relevant and durable in the course of changing our country positively. I believe that at the exit of the administration from power, we would leave behind for prosperity, a country with an economy, the structures of which have been turned around for good.”
Safe to say every administration after, built on Babangida’s enduring legacy of corruption.
Article written 2021 by Soni Gold
