Last year, Nigerians executed a flawed electoral system that was fraught with logistic problems and abusive practices. The election was condemned internationally. However, 14 years earlier, Nigerians worked an electoral system that was nothing like last year’s disaster: It was the freest and fairest election ever.
It was the day the Nigerian nation spoke and exercised their civic responsibilities via the ballot box. The election was unlike any in the history of the nation: It was packed with intrigues that eventually lead to its annulment. The presumptive winner, Abiola, was slammed into detention, where he died under mysterious circumstances, and several activists fled and sought political asylum overseas. Within a twinkle of an eye, Nigeria made a u-turn from a promising future to a pariah state.
As much as June-12 has become a day Nigerians get to mourn the democracy that never was, the day has become characterized by the main actor of the moment: MKO Abiola.
Yes, MKO paid the ultimate price, but would the day be less significant if Tofa, the northerner he contested against, won?
Would June-12 be less meaningful if a less popular candidate was on the ballot, not MKO?
No doubt, the persona of MKO did help breathe some life into the status of June-12 after all. Abiola was undoubtedly the most popular Nigerian personality then – even before he decided to run for office.
However, it may not be that simple as there was another equally important component to June-12 that people hardly talk about. Option A4.
Option A4 was the electoral system that paved the way for Abiola. I’ll revert to Reuben Abati’s description of the electoral system:
Under Option A4, a candidate was required to seek nomination from the ward level to the local to the state and national level, and to win majority votes at all levels or an average of 50 per cent…
There was also the Open Ballot System (OBS) which was used for the local council, national assembly and gubernatorial elections and the Modified Open Ballot System (MOBS) which was used for the June 12, 1993, Presidential election. This electoral framework eliminated the influence of godfathers and party chieftains who had always imposed candidates on the Nigerian electorate.
Under Option A4, Reuben writes, “there was no point stealing ballot boxes, because everything was done in the open.”
In the OBS, voters queued up behind the candidates of their choice, and the number of voters supporting a candidate was counted in the open and the results collated and announced loudly and publicly at the voting centres across the 111,000 polling centres across the country.
Even though Option A4 was a cumbersome system devised for a two-party system, and untested in a multi-party system, it was a system that led to the freest and fairest election in Nigerian history.
Is June 12 about MKO Abiola or Option A4?
I will pick the latter: Strip June-12 of the intrigues, and the glamorous lifestyle of the main character, MKO Abiola, would it have much significance without Option A4? You tell me.
More on June 12:
Nigeria: June the Twelfth
JUNE 12 1993, Just Like Yesterday!
That we may not forget: June 12
What if Abiola had become president?
June 12, MKO, Option A4…. I think you missed out Prof Nwosu, the man behind the mask. He made it all happen. He was the architect of that great feat.He is hadly mentioned when the issues of the dark June days are talked about.
Sadly, he has written a book on the episode which was yesterday and people hadly turned out to honour the man and have a look/read on how we goot here from the chief architect.
His presentation was under reported while the gaffe of the former lunatics at a Kano event took-over the media spaces where they took time to exonorate their own.
June 12 remain a reference to Nigerians of today that our failures in policy is not about the policy rather it is about the collective failure of those charged with its implementation.
Option A4 is my pick and Prof. Nwosu needs to be mentioned on the same page whenever Option A4 is refered, he deserves it.
June 13, 2008 at 4:40 am
Hi WNN:
The omission is intentional – Prof Nwosu and his crew crafted Option A4, and deserve credit. But I think we need to start seeing beyond the “who” and start focusing on the “what” to move forward in Nigeria.
June 13, 2008 at 11:19 am
What option would be practicable for the 2011 elections in Nigeria? If 4A was not in use in 2007 would it find its way back to ensure free and fair elections?
June 21, 2008 at 4:14 pm
the essence of june 12 has since lost its value,the character of Mko Abiola can never be forgotten, he lives in the hearts of Nigerians but we clearly do not epitomise his beliefs, even our so called leaders do not believe in the better Nigeria that he saw or why else dont they work towards it.
So i’ll say june 12 is about Option A4 and not Mko Abiola as it truely was the freest and fairest and if succeeded would have given Nigerians a chance to vote for a candidate of their choice.
June 9, 2009 at 1:52 am
With or without Option A4 June 12 is gone and so is its hero.Its unfortunate that many prominent Nigerians still talk and look back to that day,but they allowed its hero to waste till date.What a shame.
April 17, 2010 at 4:35 pm
I cannot forget JUN 12 1993. The best and only election I voted in to date. the cabal that annulled the election unfortunately, some of them are still in the corridor of poewr. I salute Prof Nwosu and will never forget MKO Abiola. Alhaji Tofa will also be remembered by me for his sportmanship by congratulating MKO when he discovered that MKO was winning. I pray that Dr Goodluck Jonathan thru Prof Jega will do something in that nature. God Bless NIGERIA.
June 22, 2010 at 11:50 am
i was a baby when june 12 election was held but my mother keep telling me about the entire synero. till date with what i have seen in this previous election, nigeria can never and will ever have someone like MKO ABIOLA like she said it was one of nigeria free and fair election WHAT ARE WE TURNING INTO NIGERIA
January 18, 2012 at 11:55 am