June 12: Tinubu didn’t betray Abiola contrary to insinuations, says Adelaja

Immediate past Chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources Downstream Joseph Iranola Akinlaja has debunked allegations by Mr. Kola Abiola, son of late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, that All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu betrayed the winner of the annulled June 12 election.

The former General Secretary of  Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and ex-Deputy President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in a statement yesterday, said Tinubu was one of the people, who stood firm to the end for principle and patriotism as well as for actualisation of the June 12 election.

He stressed that the if the election had been allowed to stand, “with the benefits of hindsight, Nigeria would have been better than what it is today”.

The statement reads: “Lately, I have been coming across lots of interviews and analysis from different stakeholders about the epic battle against the annulment of Saturday June 12, 1993 Presidential poll, and the subsequent declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day through the courage of President Muhammadu Buhari, who even honoured the heroes, both living and the dead that actively participated in the popular and legitimate political struggle.

“Of particular interest to me was the interview of Mr. Kola Abiola, son of late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, (MKO) winner of the annulled June 12 election, who gave his own perspectives about the activities that greeted the struggle while his late dad was incarcerated by late General Sanni Abacha’s government for demanding for the revalidation of his stolen mandate, which was willingly and constitutionally given to him by majority of Nigerians.

Read Also: June 12: Kola Abiola got it wrong on Tinubu, says Nyiam

“However, one thing I found dangerous and unacceptable was when stories of such political agitations are told with sensational coloration, elevation of falsehoods and fabrication over and above truth.

“As a stakeholder, who was a victim of that despotic regime, who was also at the forefront of the struggle, it then became necessary for me to speak out and change the narrative to its true state and obliterate facts of historical events about ‘June 12’ struggle that were distorted…”

He added: ”Throughout the period of the 9 weeks strike action led by Comrade (Chief) Frank Ovie Kokori as General Secretary of NUPENG and myself as the Deputy General Secretary of same union at that time, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu was always in contact with NUPENG and PENGASSAN to sustain the pressure against the government in order to ensure the enthronement of democracy and most importantly, the swearing in of Chief Abiola as the President.

”At a point when Chief MKO Abiola came back from London, it was Senator Tinubu who organised a meeting with us and Abiola for the first time, precisely two weeks after our strike had started. At that meeting which held at one of Chief MKO Abiola’s hideouts at Ologun Agbaje Street in Victoria Island, Lagos, Chief Abiola commended and thanked us for our patriotism and for the strike action which took place even without prompting from him.

”In the light of this, it then became absolutely illogical and unthinkable for an elected Federal Parliamentarian, Senator Tinubu, who throughout the nine weeks strike action was known for consistently encouraging us with people like late Dr. Beko Ransom-Kuti, late Dr. Fredrick Fasheun, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) and other civil rights activists to now simultaneously lobby for the post of either Administrator, Deputy Administrator or Commissioner under the same unpopular military junta that Tinubu was grossly opposed to, openly mobilised against, at the risk of his personal life…”

The former lawmaker added that it would be most unfair for anyone including the first son of late MKO “to come up with insinuations or innuendos that are damaging, misleading and erroneous against such man of good conscience who never compromised, despite the backlashes”.