An Islamic human rights organisation, Muslim Rights Concern, has lauded human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, for mobilising a team of lawyers in preparation for taking legal action against former Military President, retired General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, who recently admitted that Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola won the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
The group also backed calls for the post-humous declaration of late Bashorun Abiola as a validly elected president of Nigeria.
This was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the Executive Director of the faith-based human rights organisation, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
The statement reads: “Popular human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, recently vowed to mobilize a team of lawyers in preparation for taking legal action against former military head of state, Gen. Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB), for annulling the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
“It will be recalled that IBB recently admitted that Chief MKO Abiola won the June 12, 1993 presidential election. He also published its detailed results even though the announcement was stopped by a midnight court injunction secured by Arthur Nzeribe of the Association For Better Nigeria.
“Femi Falana deserves kudos for showing interest in taking IBB to court over the annulment. Of course it is only natural because Falana was also in the forefront of the June 12 struggle in the 90s. We call on all progressive lawyers to rally round him in this onerous task. We charge all human rights activists and the rest of Nigerians to support Falana in his bid to ensure that justice is done.
“MURIC affirms that the annulment of the results of that election was a coup against the General Will, the will of the masses. The result existed. It was not in cognito. Besides, the result was not scattered in polling stations. It had been centrally collated nationwide and the figures were already known. To that extent annulment at that stage was criminal abortion, not of a fetus, but of a fully developed homo sapien. It was blue murder.
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“We affirm that justice has no timeline. It is a wild dish that tastes best when cold. No matter how long, the nomenclature of injustice does not change, even after 32 years. Our villains may sleep with confidence on their beds of gold, but the poor masses lie awake all night, counting the tie rods that hold the fragile ceilings, pouring out silent curses. Interestingly, too, the eyes of Almighty Allah do not close for one moment. They are forever open.
“In the same vein, we support calls made by other Nigerians for the post-humous declaration of Abiola as president. Although former President Muhammadu Buhari took a giant step forward by conferring GCFR honour on Abiola, a formal declaration of the June 12 official result as disclosed by IBB is all that we need now to authenticate Abiola’s status in the Nigerian political architecture as well as in the annals of the history of this country.
“This will enable his children to enjoy all the paraphernalia of the status of an ex-president. If the children of gun-totting soldiers who became military heads of state enjoy certain rights and privileges, those of democratically elected presidents deserve even more.”
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