PRESIDENT TINUBU GOT IT WRONG ON JUNE 12… LATE ALHAJI ARIYIBI ADEDIBU PLAYED BIGGER ROLE AND DESERVED TO BE MENTIONED….by hon yinka Akinbiyi

The president of Nigeria, HE Bola Tinubu while applauding our fallen heroes and heroines on june 12 ( Democracy day) missed the most important person out of the lots

June 12 remains an important day in the annals of democracy in Nigeria, where the most acceptable candidate late chief Mko Abiola was voted for massively by the electorates ,who exercise their electoral franchise freely but was rigged out by the military junta of former military president , General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida who annulled the fairest and most popular election in the history of Nigeria

Bashorun MKO Abiola contested under the platform of social democratic party(SDP) and got the ticket which never came on a platter of gold

In the famous jos convention of SDP , a list of notable and popular candidates came out to slug it out amongst one another but the trio of Alhaji kingibe, Chief Mko Abiola and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar got a close vote in the first balloting and the three had to go for second balloting

Chief mko Abiola saw the impending doom facing him if he dare went in for the second balloting ,he swiftly move to the Garrison commander of oyo state politics ,who is no other person than late high chief lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu in a save my soul move-( SOS)

Chief Adedibu used his connection , move quickly to late Alhaji yaradua who incidentally was chief Adedibu’s candidate in the earlier cancelled presidential election, also who happened to be Alhaji Atiku Abubakar political leader, to pay him Adedibu back for supporting him ( late Yaradua)earlier by compelling Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to step down for Chief MKO Abiola which he did and Alhaji Atiku even though very painful stepped down and It was a straight fight between chief Abiola and Alhaji kingible , the rest is history ,he ( Chief Abiola ) won the ticket to represent SDP @ the presidential election against Alhaji Bashir Tofa of National Republican convention ( NRC)

At a particular hotel( name withheld) in jos ,the following day , sdp leaders were all waiting for Chief mko Abiola to celebrate his victory, immediately he entered all stood up to cheer the winner ,he ( MKO ) thanked Allah for the success and immediately,he prostrated for high chief lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu for being the main leader behind the success

On the election day , Chief mko Abiola of Sdp won but as the electoral body were about to complete the process of announcing the remaining states as already recorded by the body and the two political party agents , the electoral body was stopped by the government of the day and the election was annulled

A lot happened after and the acclaimed winner of the election,Chief mko Abiola tried to claim (re-claim) his mandate and was subsequently arrested and put in jail

Yes ,I agreed that most of the leaders mentioned on the democracy day by Mr president, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu tried all their possible best ,before,during and after the annulled election but it was late chief Adedibu again in conjunction with Aare Arisekola Alao that late Chief Abiola wife contacted at a famous hotel in Abuja to help by speaking to the totalitarian president late General sanni Abacha on the reasons why chief mko Abiola must be released from prison

The two great ibadan leaders moved swiftly , booked an appointment with the late sanni Abacha , through his wife Mariam Abacha ,which was granted and late garrison commander himself, Alhaji Adedibu pleaded on behalf of Late Abiola to be freed ( he who fight and run , fights another day) ,a plea brought on board by chief Mko Abiola’s wife.
Late Abacha agreed on one condition that he will release chief mko Abiola on condition that,he has to forgo his mandate ,this, naturally was a bargain that would had sustained the life of chief mko Abiola but some leaders ( name withheld) opposed such bargain and compelled chief mko Abiola to fight on , a decision that led to his death under the tyrannic ,totalitarian head of state, sanni Abacha regime , he died like a month after the demise of late Abacha ,in the prison
The rest is story for another day

With this little piece, high chief lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu deserved being mentioned specially by our president ( PBAT )

Alhaji Adedibu name must be immortalised by the federal government by naming an important monument in Nigeria after the great man of south western Nigeria, the garrison commander of oyo state politics, high chief Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu

I rest my case for now

Hon Yinka Akinbiyi write from ibadan south west local government