You Are Politically Dead; Mashood Erubami Tells Bashir Tofa

Human Rights activist and the Conveyner, Nigeria Voters' Assembly [VOTAS], Mashood Erubami today declared the opponent of the late MKO Abiola in the presidential election of 12th June, 1993, Othman Bashir Tofa as a 'dead' politician for declaring the 'June 12 phenomenon'  dead.

Tofa contested the said election on the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention [NRC] while the late Abiola, not only flew the banner of the defunct Social Democratic Party [SDP] but also won the election before it was annuled by the then military President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, a step that generated chains of negative reactions across the land.

However, the former NRC flagbearer in a recent newspaper report dismissed the June 12 election that had since remained a remarkable political event usually celebrated annually by the people of the South-West geo-political zone where Abiola hailed from and described those still talking about it as people lacking in tangible things to do or talk about.

But, Erubami, who led a procession of rights activists including labour leaders as well as members of his organization from NTA junction in Agodi all through Oje, Beere to Mapo Hall where speeches were made in commemorating the day berated Tofa for the statement.

Speaking with journalists, the former President of Campaign for Democracy [CD], one of the leading lights in the struggle for the revalidation of the annuled election in 1993 said, ''Tofa is a dead politician, though not yet buried, otherwise, how could somebody fail to recognize that anybody not talking about June 12 in the country today is not alive?

The human rights crusader lamented that what had happened in the last 14 years of democratic experience in the country was not yet true democracy but, only a civil rule, noting that the attitude and body language of the political players had not shown serious commitment to the sacrifice made by Nigerians to ensure that democracy was firmly returned to the country.

The Chairman of Oyo State chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress [NLC], Bashir Olanrewaju, who was part of the procession said the phenomenon of June 12 should on daily basis be remembered as a day the people of the country came together with one one voice and expressed their desire for democracy through free and fair election.

He charged Nigerians not to relent because, the country was yet to arrive democratically adding that the only way to get to the desired destination is to re-enact the same spirit of oneness that made June 12 being celebrated possible 20 years ago.