It was 22 years ago today that Nigerians went to
the polls to elect what has been dubbed the freest
presidential election in a generation.
The election had the pair of Chief Moshood Abiola
and Ambassador Babagana Kingibe as presidential
candidate and running mate on the ticket of the
Social Democratic Party, SDP and Alhaji Bashir
Tofa and Dr. Sylvester Ugoh running as
presidential candidate and vice-presidential
candidate of the National Republican Convention,
NRC.
That election, however, became the subject of
intrigues that almost undermined the country’s
survival.
Several bridges were crossed in the approach to
that election, especially on the part of the winning
pair of Abiola and Kingibe.
Abiola had to run with Kingibe on the prompting of
the powerful SDP governors including one Chief
John Odigie-Oyegun, then the governor of Edo
State and now, 22 years after, the chairman of the
All Progressives Congress, APC, the party that has
just formed the Federal Government.
Abiola who was backed by the powerful machine of
Major-General Shehu Yar‘adua had the difficult
option of choosing between the pair of Yar‘Adua’s
point man, at that time, a recently retired Customs
official, Atiku Abubakar and Kingibe.
In the end, Abiola under pressure from the
governors chose Kingibe to the displeasure of
Yar‘adua who reluctantly backed him in the
election.
The election was historic in that Nigerians put
aside religious prejudice to endorse a Muslim-
Muslim ticket as presented by Abiola and Kingibe.
22 years after, religion has become a major tool in
political discourse.
The seemingly innocuous attempt by the National
Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC,
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to put his name on the ticket
of the APC in the 2015 election received harsh
reviews from the political class.
It is now accepted wisdom that Nigeria will for now
not contemplate a Christian-Christian or a Muslim-
Muslim presidential candidate.
One of the security reasons given by the military
junta that had as its point men, one General David
Mark was the influence of money by Abiola in
winning the SDP ticket at the Jos convention.
In Abiola’s time, money was reportedly ferried in
naira. 22 years after, the preferred currency for
political bribery has been dollarized.
The United States currency according to multiple
sources was the major instrument used by one of
the presidential candidates in the 2015 election in
wooing many Southwest traditional rulers.
The June 12 presidential election was conducted
using an open ballot system, famously dubbed as
Option A4. Under the system, voters lined up
openly to vote for each of the candidates they were
voting.
There was no card reader, no ballot box snatching
and no provision of N80 billion or so to print ballot
papers and other electoral materials.
22 years after, the idea of open voting has become
anathema to many Nigerian political stakeholders.
Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/june-12-what-has-changed/

22yrs lyk yestaday? Its funny ow time flies