By Kolawole Ojebisi
Fiery Second Republic Governor of old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to complete the task of redressing the injustice meted out against late Business mogul and acclaimed winner of the annulled June 12 presidential elections, Chief MKO Abiola and all pro-democracy elements including members of the erstwhile National Democratic Coalition(NADECO) by conducting an investigation into the annulment with a view to punishing those responsible for the voided polls.
According to the Second Republic governor of old Kaduna state, the annulment of the 1993 election symbolizes a significant chapter in the annals of Nigeria’s democratic history.
He said this would help to unveil those who played various roles in the annulled elections besides former military president, Gen Ibrahim Babangida. According to Balarabe Musa, it is not enough for President Buhari to merely declare June 12 as Democracy Day.
The ex-governor said those who annulled the election considered as the freest and fairest poll ever in Nigeria’s history are responsible for the challenges the country is facing as at today because as Nigeria is yet to recover from the evils of that annulment.
Musa spoke on Friday at an event held in his Kaduna residence to mark this year’s Democracy Day. He said punishing those responsible for the annulment of the election in which late business mogul, Chief Moshood Abiola, was the acclaimed winner would serve as a deterrent for future leaders.
He said, “President should complete the task he started by investigating the circumstances that led to the annulment of June 12, (fish out) those responsible for the annulment and punish them effectively so that it will not happen again.
“If President Muhammadu Buhari does not go further and do this, anybody can do the same thing like (Ibrahim) Babangida who annulled June 12 and got away with it. Up till now, he (Babangida) is getting away with it. We must make sure that does not happen.”
In his remarks, a National Executive Council member of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Isa Aremu, said the public apology tendered by Buhari to Nigerians and Abiola’s family over the annulment was a verbal punishment of those who annulled the election.
The labour leader said the late Abiola earned the posthumous honour Buhari conferred on him last year. “We must democratise the public space and rescue the country from the total capture and dominance of few unaccountable self-serving ruling elite. We must eradicate poverty as envisioned by Abiola’, he added.
Recall that the fiery activist, Alhaji Balarabe Musa who served as Second Republic governor of old Kaduna state had his tenure truncated as he was removed from office by the State House of Assembly.
