Former member of the House of
Representatives, former Senate Chief Whip and chieftain of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, Rowland Stephen Owie says the annulment of the June 12,
1993 presidential election was a divine recompense for Abiola’s alleged past
political misdeeds.
What is your perspective on the June 12, 1993 election?
When people talk about June 12, June 12; June 12 has no meaning. June 12 is the
repayment of evil for MKO Abiola. Whatever you sow, you reap. I said about four
years ago that if Abiola had been president he would have been dead. You think
so? Yes, let me tell you. Before anyone can say that the annulment was evil
they should answer four questions. Number one, who was that politician that
brought what was called the Maroko land deal to limelight? Who was that
politician who used the Maroko land deal as an albatross on the neck of Chief
Obafemi Awolowo? Who is that Nigerian or group of Nigerians who went to
Obasanjo and connived with him and removed the Electoral College act from the
decree of 1978? Who is that politician or group of politicians that aided the
military to take over the government of President Shehu Shagari in 1983 after
the NPN convention? Who is that politician? Who is that politician that aided
the military in disqualifying all the major candidates of SDP and NRC? I say if
they can answer it and the answer is negative for MKO Abiola, then the
annulment of June 12 is evil. But if the answer is yes and it’s MKO Abiola, the
annulment of June 12 was the best thing that happened because you can’t plant
mango and reap yam. In 1979 I was in the UPN as a member of the House of
Representatives and there was a provision in the transition decree of 1978/79
which made provision for Electoral College if the presidential election became
inconclusive, and it really was inconclusive, because Shagari did not get
two-third of the 19 states. So, we were preparing for Electoral College. NPP,
GNPP, PRP and UPN we had majority in the National Assembly which constituted
the Electoral College. The late Mallam Aminu Kano of PRP, Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim
of GNPP, Nnamdi Azikiwe of NPP and Awolowo of UPN had met and we had all met.
But three days to the Electoral College Obasanjo removed the clause on
Electoral College; he removed the goal post within the run of play. Sen. Owie
Sen. Owie The Electoral College was removed after the election when we were
getting ready for it and that was why Awolowo had no other option and he had to
go to court and the judgment gave rise to the issue of 12 2/3! A human being
cannot be half, he is either full or… and that is why Justice Sowemimo said
that that judgment cannot be quoted in future. Abiola and Obasanjo were
involved as Egbas to remove that clause. Concord brought the headline “Maroko
land: Awolowo where is your sincerity”. We were in Minna when it was published.
Look it deflated the old man, it scattered him, in fact, he was no longer
himself and he started battling how to explain. Now NPN went for their national
convention in Kano and Umaru Dikko, he is alive, he said the presidential
candidate of the NPN is not for sale. MKO Abiola wanted the presidential ticket
he didn’t get it and he then came and aligned with the military people who now
came in. And IBB came and set up two political parties, Shehu Yar‘adua, Adamu
Ciroma and other major contenders in SDP and NRC, overnight the military
disqualified all of them, aided and abetted by MKO Abiola. Because if Yar‘adua
were (involved) there was no way MKO would have won. He was not even in
contention until the disqualification of these major contenders. That is why I
said that June 12 was a repayment for evil that was done against other people.
But how do you see the June 12 election in terms of electoral conduct and
fairness? The June 12 election because it was an open ballot and had only two
parties which cut across tribal lines was one of the fairest elections ever
held in this country. June 12 showed what a good government can do in an
election. If IBB and Aikhomu wanted to tamper with the election, they could
have tampered with the election, but they didn’t. It was a free and fair
election but what I am telling you is that the annulment that came later was
the hand of Esau and the voice of Jacob. What do you mean? What happened was a
repayment for evil. But was that justified on the nation? Yes! What I am saying
is that it was God’s own work, it was God’s own work. For Abiola’s alleged sin
of… All the sins! But did that justify the derailment of the collective hope of
Nigerians? What is the collective hope of Nigerians? Democracy Was the Buhari
coup against Shagari justified? Was that the collective will of Nigerians? That
is debatable because many Nigerians welcomed the coup just as majority of
Nigerians were against the annulment of June 12. It is because you are a
pressman. Do you know how many people in my village that were not interested
and were happy with the annulment, even though some of us were not happy. You,
were you happy with the annulment? The annulment served Abiola right, quote me!
You cannot be destroying other people and expect to have victory. There is a
parable that all those who destroy other people will end up having destruction
at the hour of their victory. MKO should not have expected anything less. Tell
me, was it justified for Shehu Musa Yar‘adua and Falae in the SDP to be
disqualified? What did they do? Was it justified for Adamu Ciroma and co in the
NRC to be disqualified? What did they do? They were all disqualified in both
parties so that MKO Abiola who was a friend of the military could emerge as the
strongest candidate. It was no secret that he paraded himself as a friend of
the military. That man could not have expected to become president of Nigeria
when he had ruined many people. The truth is that God does not come down to do
some of these things Himself. He uses human beings as instruments and that is
why when a man is looking for elective or appointive position, maybe as LGA
chairman, governor, minister or president, he is looking for an aspect of the
divinity of God. It is out of that divinity that the man in charge of affairs
takes, compassion, service to the people, ability to manage everybody,
forgiveness. Unfortunately, the moment you get that position and you do not
utilise it, not generally, just some part of it…if you watch when Christ cured
the ten lepers only one came back to say thank you, but he said where are the
other nine? And if you read Hipppolytus he said that as soon as Christ asked
where are the nine that the leprosy returned to the nine and they died of
leprosy.
Former member of the
House of Representatives, former Senate Chief Whip and chieftain of the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Rowland Stephen Owie says the annulment
of the June 12, 1993 presidential election was a divine recompense for
Abiola’s alleged past political misdeeds.
What is your perspective on the June 12, 1993 election?
When people talk about June 12, June 12; June 12 has no meaning. June 12
is the repayment of evil for MKO Abiola. Whatever you sow, you reap. I
said about four years ago that if Abiola had been president he would
have been dead.
You think so?
Yes, let me tell you. Before anyone can say that the annulment was evil
they should answer four questions. Number one, who was that politician
that brought what was called the Maroko land deal to limelight? Who was
that politician who used the Maroko land deal as an albatross on the
neck of Chief Obafemi Awolowo? Who is that Nigerian or group of
Nigerians who went to Obasanjo and connived with him and removed the
Electoral College act from the decree of 1978?
Who is that politician or group of politicians that aided the military
to take over the government of President Shehu Shagari in 1983 after the
NPN convention? Who is that politician? Who is that politician that
aided the military in disqualifying all the major candidates of SDP and
NRC?
I say if they can answer it and the answer is negative for MKO Abiola,
then the annulment of June 12 is evil. But if the answer is yes and it’s
MKO Abiola, the annulment of June 12 was the best thing that happened
because you can’t plant mango and reap yam.
In 1979 I was in the UPN as a member of the House of Representatives and
there was a provision in the transition decree of 1978/79 which made
provision for Electoral College if the presidential election became
inconclusive, and it really was inconclusive, because Shagari did not
get two-third of the 19 states. So, we were preparing for Electoral
College. NPP, GNPP, PRP and UPN we had majority in the National Assembly
which constituted the Electoral College.
The late Mallam Aminu Kano of PRP, Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim of GNPP, Nnamdi
Azikiwe of NPP and Awolowo of UPN had met and we had all met. But three
days to the Electoral College Obasanjo removed the clause on Electoral
College; he removed the goal post within the run of play.
Sen. Owie
Sen. Owie
The Electoral College was removed after the election when we were
getting ready for it and that was why Awolowo had no other option and he
had to go to court and the judgment gave rise to the issue of 12 2/3! A
human being cannot be half, he is either full or… and that is why
Justice Sowemimo said that that judgment cannot be quoted in future.
Abiola and Obasanjo were involved as Egbas to remove that clause.
Concord brought the headline “Maroko land: Awolowo where is your
sincerity”. We were in Minna when it was published. Look it deflated the
old man, it scattered him, in fact, he was no longer himself and he
started battling how to explain.
Now NPN went for their national convention in Kano and Umaru Dikko, he
is alive, he said the presidential candidate of the NPN is not for sale.
MKO Abiola wanted the presidential ticket he didn’t get it and he then
came and aligned with the military people who now came in.
And IBB came and set up two political parties, Shehu Yar‘adua, Adamu
Ciroma and other major contenders in SDP and NRC, overnight the military
disqualified all of them, aided and abetted by MKO Abiola. Because if
Yar‘adua were (involved) there was no way MKO would have won. He was not
even in contention until the disqualification of these major
contenders. That is why I said that June 12 was a repayment for evil
that was done against other people.
But how do you see the June 12 election in terms of electoral conduct
and fairness?
The June 12 election because it was an open ballot and had only two
parties which cut across tribal lines was one of the fairest elections
ever held in this country. June 12 showed what a good government can do
in an election. If IBB and Aikhomu wanted to tamper with the election,
they could have tampered with the election, but they didn’t. It was a
free and fair election but what I am telling you is that the annulment
that came later was the hand of Esau and the voice of Jacob.
What do you mean?
What happened was a repayment for evil.
But was that justified on the nation?
Yes! What I am saying is that it was God’s own work, it was God’s own
work.
For Abiola’s alleged sin of…
All the sins!
But did that justify the derailment of the collective hope of Nigerians?
What is the collective hope of Nigerians?
Democracy
Was the Buhari coup against Shagari justified? Was that the collective
will of Nigerians?
That is debatable because many Nigerians welcomed the coup just as
majority of Nigerians were against the annulment of June 12.
It is because you are a pressman. Do you know how many people in my
village that were not interested and were happy with the annulment, even
though some of us were not happy.
You, were you happy with the annulment?
The annulment served Abiola right, quote me! You cannot be destroying
other people and expect to have victory. There is a parable that all
those who destroy other people will end up having destruction at the
hour of their victory. MKO should not have expected anything less. Tell
me, was it justified for Shehu Musa Yar‘adua and Falae in the SDP to be
disqualified? What did they do? Was it justified for Adamu Ciroma and co
in the NRC to be disqualified? What did they do? They were all
disqualified in both parties so that MKO Abiola who was a friend of the
military could emerge as the strongest candidate.
It was no secret that he paraded himself as a friend of the military.
That man could not have expected to become president of Nigeria when he
had ruined many people. The truth is that God does not come down to do
some of these things Himself. He uses human beings as instruments and
that is why when a man is looking for elective or appointive position,
maybe as LGA chairman, governor, minister or president, he is looking
for an aspect of the divinity of God. It is out of that divinity that
the man in charge of affairs takes, compassion, service to the people,
ability to manage everybody, forgiveness.
Unfortunately, the moment you get that position and you do not utilise
it, not generally, just some part of it…if you watch when Christ cured
the ten lepers only one came back to say thank you, but he said where
are the other nine? And if you read Hipppolytus he said that as soon as
Christ asked where are the nine that the leprosy returned to the nine
and they died of leprosy.
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/06/annulment-was-payment-for-abiolas-evil-deeds-sen-owie/
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/06/annulment-was-payment-for-abiolas-evil-deeds-sen-owie/
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