Afenifere Renewal Group asks Buhari to release official June 12 presidential election results

YORUBA socio-cultural association the Afenifere Renewal Group (Arg) has called on the government to officially release the results of the 1993 presidential elections adjudged to have been won by late millionaire Chief MKO Abiola.

 

On June 12 1993, Chief Abiola was coas6tuing to victory in the presidential elections when the then military government of General Ibrahim Babangida decided to annul the polls. Although the voting figures are well known, the government has never published official figures claiming that it is prevented from doing so by the Official Secrets Act.

 

Over the weekend,  Arg called for the official release the results because the Official Secrets Act can no longer be binding on the document. Celebrating the 23rd anniversary of the June 12 elections Arg national chairman Hon Olawale Oshun, said President Muhammadu Buhari, as the beneficiary of a ballot revolution that mostly mirrored that of 1993, owed the citizens of Nigeria the duty of declassifying the election results, particularly now that 23 years had elapsed.

 

Hon Oshun added: "We believe this will reverse the stigma occasioned by the foolish act of cancelling that election, adjudged to be the most peaceful in the history of Nigeria. The official release of the June 12 election result will open up the hypocrisy of military rule and help project democracy as a better form of governance.

 

"June 12 is no longer a struggle but now an obligation. It is now the obligation of the beneficiaries of that struggle to set the country on a truly democratic path by deliberately replacing every stamp of military rule on Nigeria’s nationhood, including the imposed governance structure and constitution, through democratic rights and tenets.”

 

He pointed out that until the federal government takes conscious steps to restructure Nigeria, the country will continue to wobble from one crisis of nationhood to another. Hon Oshun lamented the fact that it was tragic that no government has given Chief MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 12 elections, due recognition.