One of the leading groups in the fight for the restoration of the June 12 presidential election mandate, National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) has called for the return to Federal Constitutional Arrangement.

The group in a press statement titled NADECO’s message to Abiola said “Nigeria should stop living a lie by calling itself a Federation when it is, in fact, being governed centrally.”

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NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC COALITION (NADECO’S) MESSAGE TO MKO ABIOLA

The National Democratic Coalition, NADECO with joy welcomed the long-awaited but pleasant Pronouncement of President Muhammadu Buhari which has declared June 12^th as the most authentic DEMOCRACY DAY over the May 29, and even over the 1^st of October Independence Day according to the statement contained in his twitter handle.

The October 1 and May 29 are not more than symbolic days of handover, the first being the political change over of baton from the imperialist and colonial overlord which deliberately forced the coupling of many different heterogeneous people into what they called Nigeria while the second was the day the Nigerian military handed over power to one of their own bosses, called General Obasanjo now in Agbada as a civilian president.

NADECO cannot but welcome with satisfaction the PMB’s courageous announcement in spite of the criticisms emanating mainly from the political opponents of President Buhari’s political party. Their reaction are expected and could be understood in that the leading one is regretting that while it governed Nigeria for 16years, it remained insensitive to popular demands for justice to be done to the late President-Elect, Bashorun MKO Abiola. Much more worrisome was that, the immediate and greatest beneficiary of Martyrdom of MKO Abiola, President Olusegun Obasanjo who the military foisted on Nigeria for 8years ignored all appeals to close the chapter of military’s disrespect to the popular will of the Nigerian people as expressed on June 12, 1993 which results have been officially announced at all the wards, LGAs, and state levels of collations confirming Abiola’s victory. NADECO also wishes to remind Nigerians that in South Africa at the inauguration of President Nelson Mandela on 10^th May, 1994 as the First Black President of that country, General Obasanjo in reaction to the popular rejection of the General Ibrahim Babangida’s annulment of the Abiola’s victory said that “MKO Abiola was not the messiah Nigerian people needed”.

NADECO in its official inaugural statement on May 15, 1994, made some categorical demands from General Sani Abacha’s deceptive military dictatorship among which were;

That the military junta should de-annul the victory recorded by Bashorun Abiola by respecting the popular will of Nigerians expressed at the ballot of box which resulted into Abiola’s victory at the presidential election of June 12^th, 1993.

That the military junta should convene a Sovereign National Conference, SNC composed mainly of Ethnic Nationalities which were the building blocks upon which Nigeria was coupled together and which negotiated for a Federal Constitutional arrangement so that the warped, lopsided and skewed National Structure which enabled a motley crowd of corrupt military jackboot to disrespect Nigerians fundamental rights to elect who they prefer to govern them could be amicably righted and corrected through mutual dialogue and to show respect for the individual nationalities and groups desire as to how they wanted to govern their lives.

That June 12^th represented the authentic “Democracy Day” because that was the day when Nigerians of all different persuasions decided to bury the DUBIOUS NATIONAL DIVIDES of North/South, Christian/Muslim, ethnic and or tribal affiliations to vote for either Bashorun MKO Abiola of the Social Democratic Party, SDP or Alhaji Bashir Tofa of the National Republic Convention, NRC. The result as already announced publicly at the various levels particularly at the state level were;

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) Candidate Moshood Abiola received over 8million votes and won in 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The National Republican Convention (NRC) candidate Alhaji Bashir Tofa received over 6 million votes and won in 10 states only. Over 14 million people voted. Abiola won in Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Benue, Borno, Cross-river, Delta, Edo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Taraba, and Yobe states and the Federal Capital Territory. Tofa won in Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Enugu, Imo, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Rivers and Sokoto States thereby giving victory to Bashorun Abiola as the President-Elect of Nigeria. The desperate ambush of a compromised and illegal order secured at 9pm by a lady judge of an Abuja High Court who was a former junior counsel in the Law chambers of Chief Clement Akpamgbo, SAN then Attorney General and Minister of Justice who in fact influenced her appointment onto the higher Bench. The efforts of the distinguished and credible Bukhari Bello Esq. the Director of Legal services for Prof. Nwosu’s NEC was frustrated because the date for which was set to vacate the illegal order as a result of diligent steps taken by Buhari was frustrated as Babangida’s government dissolved the INEC itself.

Return to Federal Constitutional government upon which Nigeria secured its independence, and OTHERS.

Now that President Buhari has put to shame those that hold on to the view that Nigeria has no redeeming future, by his recent declaration which is legally valid and compliant with instant enactment on the powers of the President. NADECO wishes to state unequivocally that for his pronouncement to have the fundamental impact with a significant segment of Democrats and advocates for justice, equity and the rule of law, PMB should note and act on the following associated matters with the recognition of June 12 and its import, among which were;

If the General Babangida’s dictatorship had not annulled the victory of Bashorun MKO Abiola, the major gain of NATIONAL UNITY which Abiola’s victory demonstrated could have assisted most Nigerians to be ready to claim and defend the country. This was because the victory was a defeat of the major dubious national divides which the elites have always exploited for their selfish advantages. But the annulment killed that prospect and so we are yet to be a Nation that our founding fathers jointly hoped for.
President Buhari should accept the fact that Nigeria’s prospect to genuine unity, expected growth and development can only be a reality if his government accept the popular will being expressed by the majority of Nigerians that our country should return to FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT. This demand is proven by the fact that until the unfortunate military insurrection against democratic government on January 15, 1966, the Regional Governments were relatively productive and responding creditably to the genuine wishes and aspirations of their peoples. Return to Federalism should not be in accordance with a partisan predilection but as approved by the people genuinely elected by them not chosen by the government and not by a compromised legislature like the current National Assembly.

Centralization of the vital public sector by various decrees and the appropriations of all the Regional Major means of raising resources to the Central government has crippled the component units since then. Most states now depend on the monthly allocations to run their over bloated bureaucracies. NIGERIA SHOULD STOP LIVING A LIE BY CALLING ITSELF A FEDERATION WHEN IT IS IN FACT BEING GOVERNED CENTRALLY.

That the Nigerian State should ask Prof. Nwosu to be recalled on emergency for the purposes of a formal declaration of the final result of June 12, 1993, Presidential Election as the Chief Returning Officer.
That the Nigerian State should formerly inaugurate posthumously Bashorun MKO Abiola as a President of Nigeria.
That a National Monument of Consequence be named after President Abiola, not for the mischievous reason of wanting to present him as a regional leader which the attempt to utilize the University of Lagos was meant to be.
NADECO encourages President Buhari who has experienced harrowing electoral perversions in three attempts to act his talks by encouraging the electoral management body to be impartial and conduct their businesses to ensure free, fair and credible elections that meet international best practices in the 2019 general election.

NADECO hereby calls on Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola to note that the consequence of our collective insistence for justice, equity, and respect for the rule of law has now resulted to the near revalidation of his victory recorded on June 12, 1993. And that we would not relent until all other associated matters raised along with June 12 election are achieved to the greater glory, unity, and development of Nigeria.

NADECO finally hereby promise Nigerians that in the near future, we would be calling on Nigerians to collaborate with other ethnic nationalities, professional bodies, traditional and religious bodies as well as civil society organizations to unite their ranks and positions to have a workable national agenda for genuine restoration to a Federal government structure as we had in the First Republic as may be amended to suit the requirement of the current realities to restore our nation to what Nigeria witnessed as concrete and genuine growth that had positively qualitative and quantitative impact on most Nigerians.

AYO OPADOKUN

General Secretary and Spokeman