Tinubu Distorting June 12 History, Turning Democracy Day Into a Lie – Lamido
Former Jigawa State Governor and ex-Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. Sule Lamido, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and others of distorting Nigeria’s democratic history by sidelining key figures in the June 12 struggle.
In his book Being True To Myself (Page 177), Lamido criticized what he described as the “hijacking” of the June 12 legacy by individuals who, according to him, avoided confrontation during the military regime.
Lamido, a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said those now recognized as democracy icons contributed little or nothing to the resistance.
“Amusingly, all known June 12 activists, who were then docile or ‘sidon look’ or who had taken refuge outside Nigeria for fear of Abacha, are now among those celebrating and claiming the victory of June 12,” Lamido wrote.
He said those who opposed the annulment of the 1993 presidential election and stood up to military regimes are being left out of the narrative by current leaders.
“Those who resisted every effort by Babangida to continue after annulling June 12, as well as those who fought Abacha, are now shamelessly being ignored, all in an attempt to rewrite history,” Lamido stated. “No amount of deconstruction and reconstruction to stand history on its head can bury the truth.”
Referring to President Tinubu’s 2024 Democracy Day speech, Lamido questioned the inclusion of names he claimed had no role in the actual struggle.
“It must be clearly understood that there was June 11 before June 12!” he declared.
Lamido said many of the people now celebrated, including Tinubu, were absent during the campaign efforts that led to the victory of the late Chief Moshood Abiola under the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
“In the campaigns we undertook in all the States of the Federation, none of them were there, not even President Tinubu himself. Babagana Kingibe can attest to this,” he wrote.
He criticized members of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) for turning what he called a national cause into a regional affair.
“The elements in NADECO simply snatched away the finished product, at the end of the mill, and by so doing sectionalized, trivialized and diminished an otherwise national sacrifice,” Lamido said.
He also condemned the ethnic framing of the June 12 legacy.
“They believed more in the bath water than the baby,” he wrote, making a veiled reference to the “Emilokan” phrase associated with Tinubu.
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