Ose Anenih, son of the late Tony Anenih, has described as false the account of his father’s involvement in June 12 given by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy.
Last week, Sule Lamido, former Jigawa State governor, had accused President Tinubu of supporting the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Speaking in an interview on Arise TV, Lamido said that Tinubu’s late mother, Hajiya Mogaji, organised market women from Lagos to Abuja to show support for the then Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida.
“I feel highly entertained by Tinubu’s rhetoric, the way he’s dramatising his role in Nigeria’s democracy.
“He was part of those who supported IBB’s annulment of the June 12 election.
“His own mother Hajia Mogaji was organising Lagos market women to come to Abuja to pledge support for Babangida,” Lamido had said.
But reacting about twenty fours hours later, Bayo Onanuga described Lamido’s claim as not true and a distortion of history and a regrettable attempt at revisionism.
Onanuga accused Lamido and Anenih of teaming up with the defeated National Republican Convention to deny Abiola his mandate.
He said, “It is important to remind Nigerians that Alhaji Lamido, as secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the party whose candidate, MKO Abiola, won the June 12 election, was among those who failed to oppose the military’s injustice. The SDP leadership, including Lamido and chairman, Tony Anenih, wrote their names in the book of infamy by surrendering the people’s mandate without resistance.
Read also: Presidency faults Lamido on Tinubu’s role in June 12 struggles
“To their eternal shame, Lamido and Anenih teamed up with the defeated National Republican Convention to deny Abiola his mandate.”
But reacting in a message which he shared on his official X handle, titled ‘Rebuttal: In defence of history and my father,’ Ose Anenih described as untrue Onanuga’s account of his father’s role in June 12 annulled presidential election.
“Your account of my father’s involvement in June 12 is, to put it politely, untrue. It is disappointing that you chose to use uncouth language to describe Chief Tony Anenih, and in an official communication from ‘the Presidency,’ no less.
“I will rise above the emotional baiting that this conversation has clearly sparked and will speak only to the truth. I will also assume that your mischaracterisation of historical events stems from ignorance, not malice,” he said.
Ose further said that at the time, the SDP and NRC had negotiated for an interim national government with the understanding that it would eventually hand over power to Abiola.
“MKO walked in step-lock with this arrangement, in fact, strategically ring-fencing a few sensitive ministerial portfolios for himself. But Abiola perhaps, grew impatient of waiting; and decided to pursue a different path,” he said.
He stressed that he was disappointed that so much energy was being expended in retelling a tale of more than 30 years old, wondering the relevance such would have to the average Nigerian.
He recounted how his father, Tony Anenih, warned Abiola that his close dealings with Abacha would destroy his chances of reclaiming his mandate, which Abiola allegedly ignored.
“Chief Abiola initially fled the country after the annulment of the June 12 presidential elections by Gen. Babangida. You mentioned that MKO eventually returned. When he did, one of his first visits was to my father, then National Chairman of the SDP, in Benin City.
“True to form, my father confronted Abiola. He accused him, to his face, of abandoning the party and its supporters in the immediate aftermath of the annulment while they risked life and limb defending his mandate,” Ose said.
He also stressed that his late father acknowledged how Tinubu spoke out against the delay in the announcement of the June 12 election results.
“Now, I am not aware of any animosity that ever existed between my father and President Tinubu. In fact, my father acknowledged that Tinubu had initially spoken out against the delay in announcing the results of the June 12 election.
“It was the only time he mentioned Tinubu in his 260-page book.
“I have no personal knowledge of what role your principal played after that, though I find it curious that you consider his early visit to Abacha, immediately after a coup to remove the ING he (MKO) helped birth, a mark of honour.
“Like Lamido said, many of the key players in that chapter of our history like IBB, Abdulsalami, Oyegun, Ikimi, Mark, Ayu, Dele Momodu, and others, including Kola, MKO’s son, are still alive. We are also fortunate that my father wrote his own version of events before he passed.”
Speaking further, Ose pointed out that it was unfortunate he had to defend his father’s name against what he described as a lie issued in the name of the President.
“It is however, unfortunate that I have had to defend my father’s name against a lie, and doubly unfortunate that that lie was issued in the name of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“I had hoped that this level of toxicity left with the former occupant of your office.
“I am happy to send you a copy of my father’s memoir, ‘My Life and Nigerian Politics’, to help you avoid this sort of ahistorical misadventure in future,” he said.
He also expressed surprise and disappointment that “so much energy is going into the re-telling of a tale that is more than 30 years old,” wondering its relevance to the average Nigerian today.
“I truly wish you had used your pen today to issue condolences to the victims of the suicide bombings in Kano and Borno, rather than rewriting history and smearing the dead,” he said
