The former Minister of Police Affairs, Adams Maina Waziri, said that Nigerians voted for the late Moshood Abiola in 1993 out of disappointment and a strong desire to remove the military from power.
Waziri stated this on Thursday at the Second Posthumous Legacy Colloquium held in Abuja in honour of the late Raymond Dokpesi, organised by D-37, his political family and associates.
He said that Abiola and Bashir Tofa were not the initial choices of Nigerians in the presidential election that was annulled by former military Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida.
The June 12, 1993 election, won by businessman and politician MKO Abiola, is widely regarded as Nigeria’s most free and fair.
However, then President Babangida annulled the results, citing national security concerns.
This decision triggered widespread protests and political turmoil, ultimately leading to Babangida’s resignation and a long fight for democracy that culminated in the return to civilian rule in 1999.
Reflecting on his friendship with the late Dokpesi, an emotional Waziri recalled past events, particularly the 1993 election, noting that Nigerians’ main goal during that election was to end military rule.
He stated, “Nigerians, out of disappointment, were forced to vote in 1993 for candidates not of their choice. With due respects, Abiola was not the choice of Nigerians and neither was Bashir Tofa.
“The choices of Nigerians were Admu Chiroma, Shehu Musa Yar’adua, Bamanga Tukur, and the rest of them.
“So, when we are celebrating June 12, we are celebrating i. Nigerians were tired of military rule, so they were forced to vote to see if they could just ease the military out.”
Expressing concern over the state of the nation, Waziri recounted Dokpesi’s efforts in helping to strengthen and stabilise the Peoples’ Democratic Party.
On the death of Dokpesi, the formerministerr said, Att least we exchanged chat messages. I was asleep at about 11 when I was woken up with the sad news.
“It was good he died at home. Otherwise, the controversy of his death on that day would have had dire consequences on this country.”
He urged the organisers to properly document Dokpesi’s contributions to Nigeria’s political landscape, particularly from 1999 to May 29, 2023, to ensure his legacy is preserved.
Meanwhile, General Secretary of D-37 and former Attorney General of Benue State, Alex Ter Adum described Dokpesi as a man whose memory is hard to overlook due to his significant impact on many lives and the nation.
He hailed Dokpesi as a pioneer in the media industry and a skilled political strategist who played key roles during the Second, Third, and Fourth Republics.
Adum noted, with a sense of irony, that Dokpesi passed away on the symbolic date of May 29.
He stated, “For we D37, we decided this day to be called transition day. This event is small but very important to us and important to all of you who have left whatever you are doing to be here.”
The guest lecturer at the colloquium, Yusuf Usman, expressed deep concern over the state of the nation and criticised the corruption within Tinubu’s administration.
He said: “We have leadership that is focused on itself and distant from the people. There’s no country that can be safe with injustice. With the hunger in the land, we are not safe in this country.
“Life has become nothing in this country, insecurity everywhere, and our military has been deployed to all the states, including the FCT. Our military is overstretched.
“The mess you see today is created by the politician, and they left it for the military to clean up. The people are sufferin, and the government is not listening.
