News
30 yrs of June 12: MKO son’s bombshell: Buhari cancelled benefit to Abiola family despite GCFR recognition

It will be exactly 30 years tomorrow since the June 12, 1993, presidential election generally believed to have been won by the late Bashorun MKO Abiola but annulled by the then-military government.
Abiola died in the ensuing attempt to reclaim his mandate in 1998, about four weeks after the military ruler who had detained him for declaring himself President, General Sani Abacha, mysteriously passed on in June of that year.
Abiola’s death sparked agitation across the country for his posthumous recognition as a former Nigerian leader immediately after the nation returned to civilian rule in 1999 but this was not achieved until 2018 when former President Muhammadu Buhari moved Democracy Day from May 29, the day Nigeria had returned to civil rule after the June 12, 1993 episode, to June 12.
Buhari did not stop there. He conferred posthumously the highest honour in the land and one usually conferred on Presidents or former Presidents, Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR), on the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. Earlier, former President Goodluck Jonathan had tried to immortalise Abiola by renaming the University of Lagos (UNILAG) after him but the move was resisted by the UNILAG alumni, forcing Jonathan to beat a retreat.
Abiola’s then-running mate, Alhaji Babagana Kingibe, on his part, got the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) honour usually reserved for Vice Presidents or their equivalents from the Buhari administration. The gesture was interpreted in many quarters to mean that Abiola and Kingibe had been recognised as former President and former VP respectively. Whereas it is five years since June 12 was officially recognised, it is 30 years since the historic election.
President Bola Tinubu was a participant in the June 12 episode as he was involved in the then-transition to civil rule as a senator representing Lagos West before teaming up with pro-democracy elements to demand the restoration of the Abiola mandate from the Abacha regime under the aegis of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO).
And this is the first Democracy Day on June 12 under the Tinubu administration. In this interview, one of the children of the late Abiola, Jamiu, speaks on how the family has fared since the detention of their patriarch, the death, the murder of his mother, Kudirat, during the struggle and other issues around June 12.
It has been 30 years since the June 12 election and nearly 25 years since your father’s demise. How has it been with the family?
It has not been easy at all. It was from the heights of joy as a result of the presidential victory to the depths of sorrow because of the annulment. Such an event can only be devastating to any family. This is not to mention other countless negative consequences of the tragedy. The family has accepted the fact that life must go on.
This is the only attitude we can adopt as a family, particularly because in most countries similar to Nigeria, in terms of population and ethnic diversity, there has always been a family that has paid the supreme price for democracy and stability.
The Ghandis in India, the Bhuttos in Pakistan and even the Kennedys in the United States of America have all lost at least family members to unnatural causes that were politically motivated. This is a fact that can now be sadly said about Nigeria too.
At a time, stories about disputes resulting from sharing of inheritance were peddled. It was also said that paternity and Deoxyribonucleic Acid, DNA, tests were conducted…
Most of what you have heard is true. When it rains it pours and this is what further exacerbated the tragedy. DNA tests were conducted but this issue was deliberately mishandled to divert attention from my father’s assets. The fact that some had failed the DNA test should never have been published in newspapers. So, there were court cases later used as excuses for stalling the sharing of my father’s assets or diverting their proceeds to fictitious legal charges. The fact that all of this was happening just a few years after my father died was a great disservice to his memory and legacy.
But this is in line with something God Himself had mentioned in the Koran when he stated that among our family members, some might be our enemies. It is a lesson from which many people, old and young, should learn. To make matters worse, those who took over his assets have even refused to maintain the house in which he was buried, even though it will not cost more than a tiny fraction of their loot.
Crime
NAF strike kills notorious bandit kingpins, 20 others in Zamfara

Airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft have killed two bandits kingpins, Gero (Alhaji) and Alhaji Riga, including 20 of their fighters in Zamfara State.
The bandits were killed in their hideouts at Unguwar Goga hillforest in Faskari Local Government Area of the state.
A statement by the Deputy Director of Public Relations and Information, Group Captain Kabiru Ali, said the “precision airstrikes were executed in early hours of March 13, after careful and actionable intelligence.”
The statement reads: “ The strike advancing purposeful lethality, destroyed the fortified camps of notorious bandit kingpins, Gero (Alhaji) and Alhaji Riga, neutralising over 20 criminals, with additional casualties reported in the surrounding rocky hills.
“The airstrike had a decisive impact on the criminals, assessment of the full extent of the damage is ongoing.”
Riga and Gero, according to the statement, were key enablers of banditry, sheltering terrorist elements responsible for relentless ambushes along the Funtua-Gusau Road, particularly between Yankara and Sheme villages.
“Their elimination marks a major breakthrough in the ongoing military campaign to restore peace in the North-West,” the statement said.
News
I won’t stop Rivers Assembly from performing constitutional duties – Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike has said he will not stop the Rivers House of Assembly led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule from performing its constitutional functions.
Wike also blamed the Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG), Dr. Tammy Danagogo, for instigating the main issue that led to the ongoing political crisis in the State.
The minister spoke at Abalama Town where a crowd of Kalabari Ijaw trooped out in their numbers to treat him to a grand civic reception and thanksgiving.
The event held despite protests by some women groups, who tried to block the road to stop people from accessing the venue of the programme.
Security operatives, especially the police fired teargas cannisters at the protesters to disperse them to avoid the disruption of the programme.
Wike, who was cheered by the crowd, said he came because some persons threatened him not to attend the event, noting that the occasion was an indication the opposition was a mere radio noise.
He said: “I heard some people say I won’t come here. Who are they and how many are they? What you have done today is to tell the world all these noise in the radio is not the real thing.
If you are of the Kalabari and of the Ijaw nation and you are receiving me today, God will continue to bless you. I will continue to stand by you and to support you.
”He explained some persons had misunderstood and misinterpreted his recent interview on Ijaw but clarified that he only meant that an Ijaw man becoming a governor in Rivers was made possible and agreement to work together.
He said at the final day of deciding who would be his successor, Fubara said he was not interested and urged them to give the position to his then Commissioner for Finance, Isaac Kamalu.
He recalled the process that led to Siminalayi Fubara becoming the Governor adding that Chief Alabraba, Chief Seargent Awuse and OCJ Okocha mounted pressure on him to allow Fubara in the principle of live and let live.
He said: “What I said on my interview people will want to misinterpret it. However they want to misinterpret it is their business. I want to repeat what I said. I said we are all working together if we don’t work together it would have been difficult to produce the governor.
That was what I said. Chief Alabraba did not allow me to rest; he nearly fainted when we were deciding who would be governor.
“Himself, OCJ Okocha and Seargent Awuse and this boy Celestine Omehia when we met, that day was the primary, this governor today said he was not going to run that my Commissioner for Finance, Isaac Kamalu, should be the one to run.
Celestine Omehia said it should be Isaac Kamalu that this governor cannot carry out effectively, the functions of the governor.
“OCJ Okocha and Chief Awuse said live and let live. Let us not do something that people will begin to say why must it be only one sided.
What I mean was that it was not because of the strength or the power of Ijaw. It was because we worked together.
“Nobody should associate anything evil to Ijaw. Ijaw people are not evil people. You cannot be saying I will blow pipeline. No.
Engage people intellectually and diplomatically and you get what you want. In the world we are in today we have passed the stage of threatening people.
”Wike said those around the Governor encouraged him to seize the salaries and allowances of the House of Assembly members for over a year telling the governor that nothing would happen.
He said: “They told you to seize Assembly members salaries and allowances for more than one year. They have no income to feed their families and pay their children school fees. And you were jubilating and people were encouraging you and telling you that nothing would happen.
“Now something has happened. I am not going to stop the assembly from performing their constitutional duties. The Assembly should be allowed to perform their duties. People who love peace don’t threaten people.
”I told you that the House of Assembly will not lose their seats. I told you that the shenanigans of local government would not stand. I don’t need to be a governor. I know what is illegal is illegal. We fight it constitutionally and by following due process. What did we do wrong?
“We said all these chairmen and the assembly members suffered, national Assembly members suffered for you to become governor. Therefore, don’t abandon them. But they said I was asking for money.
Has the money come? Those you are sharing the money, how far?
“Remember yesterday. A man is bad, a man is crook and a man is a criminal. But it was that same man that made you against all odds. If I hate Ijaw I wouldn’t have done that and nothing would have happened. I followed my principle of live and let live.
“If you watch all those around the governor are people who are natural ingrates. Nobody who is not an ingrates will associate himself with what is going on.
I told the governor to eat what God had given to him peacefully that it is not good for him to face this crisis. But they told him, you are governor you have money. I agree but money is not everything.
All these people have nothing to offer. See where we are. Now how far?
”Wike highlighted all the projects he initiated and handed over to Fubara to make him popular including the Port Harcourt Ring Road adding that whatever the governor’s team was parading were his initiatives.
Tracing the genesis of the crisis, the minister said: “Who started this problem? Danagogo SSG used his elder brother, who is a judge.
They sat down under ex parte order saying 27 members have defected; ex parte not on notice.
“SSG lured his brother judge to give ex parte order that the government can present budget to three or four people. Secretary is Danagogo, the judge who gave the order is Danagogo.
Look at how people can destroy a state. “That is the genesis of all this crisis; how a judge will sit down under ex parte order saying that people had defected and you can present budget to three people.
This is Danagogo who wanted to be governor.
He was so pained that he was not given.
“He is the one leading you and he will lead you to hellfire. You surround yourself with people who wanted to be governor; who I stopped because they don’t mean well for Rivers State.
They are the ones surrounding you giving you advice. Why do you think you will succeed?
“They will give you bad advice and see what the bad advice is doing to you. This is 2:0 and more will come. I haven’t seen this kind of politics where you surround yourself with those who want your seat.
Will it work? They come they and abuse me and you are happy. You don’t know they are destroying you”.
He remembered that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu invited them for peace but that while he and other leaders got the assembly members to withdraw the impeachment notice they issued to the governor, those around Fubara stopped him from implementing the decision.
News
Tinubu not occupied with 2027 election – Presidency

The Presidency has stated that President Bola Tinubu is not focused on the 2027 election.
Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare said the president is currently concerned and focused on his economic policies that would improve the lives of Nigerians.
Posting on his X page, Dare said Tinubu is concerned with the long-term impact of his policies than political manoeuvring ahead of 2027.
“We’ve seen our foreign reserves go up. We’ve seen inflation come down. We’ve seen our trade surplus go up. We’ve seen exports go up and imports drop.
“We’ve seen the investments that have been attracted—over $50 billion. We are seeing prices dropping. We have clear data, and you have a President that is clearly in the driver’s seat, and he has stayed the course of the decisions he has taken.
“And I think that the next election is not really in his view right now. It’s how to make sure that at the end of his first term, he can sit back and say, ‘I have impacted the lives of Nigerians. I have turned this economy around.’”
His comment is coming amid moves to birth a political coalition that is believed would give Tinubu a run for his money in 2027.
Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai recently visited some top leaders in Nigeria following his criticisms of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
After his visits, El-Rufai defected from APC to the Social Democratic Party, SDP, amid moves to intensify the birth of the coalition.
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