June 12, (THEWILL) – The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo, has described the June 12 national broadcast of President Bola Tinubu as poorly prepared, contending that while he recognised the contributions of many Nigerians to the June 12 struggle, he failed to mention the then Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Prof. Humphrey Nwosu.
Ohanaeze also said the true meaning of the Democracy Day celebration is for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be truly independent.
The group contended that despite the June 12 struggle the Commission had remained a biased umpire which President Tinubu benefited from.
THEWILL earlier reported that President Tinubu, in his Democracy Day speech on Wednesday, paid tribute to the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, late Chief MKO Abiola.
The President also paid tributes to other heroes and heroines of the June 12 struggle.
In his Democracy Day speech, President Tinubu said, “On this day, 31 years ago, we entered our rites of passage to becoming a true and enduring democratic society.
“Going through this passage was hard and dangerous. During the fateful six years that followed, we fought and struggled for our natural rights as human beings put on this earth by the divine hand of our Creator.
“We lost great heroes and heroines along the way. In this struggle, the winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, the most significant symbol of our democratic struggle, his wife, Kudirat, General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and Pa Alfred Rewane, among others sacrificed their very lives.
“They bravely surrendered their futures so that our nation might have a better one.
“Let us honour the memories of Chief Anthony Enahoro, Chief Abraham Adesanya, Commodore Dan Suleiman, Chief Arthur Nwankwo, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, Chief Frank Kokori, Chief Bola Ige, Chief Adekunle Ajasin, Chief Ganiyu Dawodu, Chief Ayo Fasanmi, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Chief Olabiyi Durojaiye, Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, Chima Ubani, and others who have transited to the higher realm.
“The sacrifices of General Alani Akinrinade, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, Professor Wole Soyinka, Chief Ralph Obioha, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, among many others, should never be forgotten. For at least six years, they bore the pains and difficulties of life in exile.
“While the exiled pro-democracy activists kept the fire burning, their comrades at home sustained the pressure on the military brass hats. Among the latter are Olisa Agbakoba, Femi Falana, Abdul Oroh, Senator Shehu Sani, Governor Uba Sani, Chief Olu Falae, and other National Democratic Coalition leaders such as Chief Ayo Adebanjo and Chief Ayo Opadokun.
“We celebrate them today, along with their media establishments such as The Punch, Guardian, National Concord, Tribune, The News/Tempo, and TELL Magazines. Military authorities proscribed these media establishments and jailed their journalists for standing for free speech and civil liberties.”
But in a statement on Wednesday, the National Vice President of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Damian Okeke Ogene, said, “It is very unfortunate that the President made a broadcast and forgot a person like Prof. Humphrey Nwosu who almost put his life on the ground in the course of discharging his duties as the Chairman of National Electoral Commission (NEC).
“I don’t think that it was an oversight because it is poorly written and you cannot mention those people who fought for democracy and forget Humphrey Nwosu who made it public about the outcome of that election.
“Had it been that Nwosu did not go on air to announce the initial set of results which showed that late MKO Abiola is leading comfortably, how would Nigerians have known?
“Last time, under the Buhari administration, a similar thing played out and one wonders if it is a deliberate thing to forget Humphrey Nwosu.
“On the importance of this Democracy Day, I see it as yet another opportunity for us as Nigerians to reflect on the independence of our Electoral Commission.
“Despite the struggle, INEC is still not independent and the only way to ensure democracy is for the Commission to be totally independent and unfortunately the current President benefited from that.”
Ogene noted that the only way forward is to go back to the Constructional Conference Report and see it implemented to the letter, adding that the handicap of the country’s democracy is that the umpire is like a ministry under the Federal Government and does not have the legal and financial autonomy to operate.
“A body like this should be on its own and should be funded independently as well as the Chairman and key officers,” he added.
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