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Despite the shift of Nigeria’s Democracy Day from May 29th to June 12th, the former date remains symbolic in that it marked a landmark attempt at returning Nigeria to democratic governance. The voluntary handover of powers from a military regime to a civilian regime has never been an easy one. The occasion on May 29th, 1999 marked one of such significant days in Nigeria’s national history as Obasanjo, who first successfully returned Nigeria to civilian rule in 1979 took over power from another military Head of State 20 years after but now as a civilian politician. May 29 became an opportunity for some to reflect on the long journey which has brought the nation on the path of democratic rule. For other people, it became a symbol of the painstaking effort it took to achieve such a feat after many years of civilian opposition to the military junta. The events that led to the sudden re-emergence of democracy after years of hopelessness remains unexplainable. The other intricacies of the brief elections were nothing unexpected of political machinations rife before the time. When General Sani Abacha suddenly died, in 1998, a few months after the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 elections died, MKO Abiola; General Abubakar took over as Head of state. The ‘powers that be’ then decided that a peaceful transition of power to civilian rule via elections should take place.
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Atiku Abubakar, who originally had won the Adamawa governorship elections, in the earlier conducted gubernatorial race, was then selected by Obasanjo to second him at the presidency. Atiku, who was a major ally of M.K.O Abiola and Generally Shehu Musa Yar’adua, abandoned his influence in the party structure that the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) set up in the founding of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in favour of Obasanjo’s machinery. Other political parties such as the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) were formed by equally notable personalities such as Chief Olusegun Falae, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, Chief Bola Ige and other well-known personalities in the nation. All ethnic organisations, labour unions, and civil society organisations such as NADECO, CLO and so on which featured in political happenings all through the pre-May 29 events, now had lesser control in the direction which the 1999 constitutions and the elections followed. Democracy Day 1999 was celebrated nationwide, but it ushered in more of a haphazard democratic system of governance for the entire polity. It was apparent that Nigerians were too tired of the outgoing military government to be too selective or critical of the lapses of an incoming democracy. Featured Image Source: Tribune Online
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