ONWUASOANYA FCC JONES
JUNE 12 is a sacred date in Nigeria’s march to democracy. Before 20 years ago, that date was commemorated by all pro-democracy groups and individuals in advancement of the struggle to send the military away from our government houses and restore democracy to the country. Before two years ago, every protest was aimed at giving that date it’s due place in our national calendar and according deserving honour to the martyrs and heroes of the June 12 struggle.
In what is a surprise to most people in Nigeria and outside it, a very unlikely man took the initiative of agreeing to; almost 90% of the June 12 activists. President Muhammadu Buhari is the least person most people expected to accede to these demands, but he did.
For the second year running, we are observing June 12th as Nigeria’s Democracy Day and a public holiday has been declared for Monday 14th in honour of this epochal day in our nation’s democratic history.
Chief MKO Abiola was post-humously honored with the title of GCFR, a title reserved only for those who have been President of this country at any time. Members of the Abiola family have accepted this honour and praised the President for the honour done to their patriarch. Babagana Kingigbe who would have been the Vice-president, had Abiola been inaugurated as President was decorated with the GCON title. This title is officially bestowed on Nigeria’s Vice-presidents, and they retain the title until death. By these presidential gestures, the Nigerian government has done the best it could to affirm Abiola’s victory in that election and the place of June 12 in our national life is secured.
June 12 is Nigeria’s day of democracy and one of the sacrosanct features of a democracy is periodic transition of power through the ballots, not through street protests.
The BUHARI MUST GO theme of today’s protest by some businessmen posturing as activists, contravenes the real philosophy of June 12. These protestors by hijacking such a sacred day for an anti-democratic activity are desecrating the sanctity of this day.
By trying to incite a mass uprising with a clear intent to remove a democratically elected President and other democratically elected officials at different levels, the organizers of this failed protest are not different from the coupists whom June 12 is partly meant to repudiate.
A true democrat, which the original June 12 activists were, would invest their resources towards protecting the guardrails of our democracy, which peaceful, periodic and Constitutionally sanctioned transfer of power is the most significant aspect of. Protests for good governance is also important, but not this hijacked and obviously ill-timed civilian coup d’etat, which Sowore and his fellow sore losers represent.
President Muhammadu Buhari has said he will not spend one day extra beyond his Constitutionally allowed two terms, which expires on the 29th of May, 2023. Instead of disturbing the fragile peace of the country with these ill-intended public disturbances passed off as civil protests, Sowore and his business partners should go and prepare for the next elections. Democratic power cannot be gotten through intimidation, you must organize efficiently and mobilize the majority of eligible voters to elect you into power. If you are too lazy and too untrustworthy as the figures from the 2019 elections suggest, then, you should join the military and possibly plan a coup.
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