Festus Keyamo, minister of state for labour and Paul Ibe, media adviser to Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have clashed over the former vice president’s role In June 12.
The June 12 1993 election, won by MKO Abiola, was annulled by former head of state, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, which later enmeshed Nigeria into political crisis.
Abiola subsequently died in custody following arrest while demanding for his mandate.
In a series of tweets on Thursday, Keyamo, said Atiku abandoned the fight for democracy represented in the June 12 election.
According to the minister, the “only person who played a significant role was Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
“No Presidential candidate today had anything to do with the June 12 struggle (which is the foundation of democracy we are enjoying today) except BAT and (to be honest) Sowore as a student leader, but BAT was more pivotal from exile. Atiku was one of the first to abandon June 12,” the tweets read.
Reacting, in a statement, Ibe said keyamo lied, accusing the minister of trying to distort history.
“The events of the June 12 crisis are too well documented for anyone to seek to distort it. Keyamo told a blatant lie when he said Atiku ‘abandon(ed) June 12’. Atiku never abandoned June 12,” the statement reads.
“The truth is that the former Vice President was marked for assassination because of his strident opposition to military rule. Indeed, Abacha actually appropriated his INTELS company, tried to kill him in Kaduna and he managed to escape only after some of his security aides had been killed.
“Flash back to the events leading up to the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) primaries in Jos that threw up Abiola as its presidential candidate. What Keyamo will not say is that it was Atiku’s sacrifice of historic stepping down for Abiola that metamorphosed into his victory in the primaries and subsequent success in the June 12, 1993 election.
“I wish to remind Festus that the same Atiku that he is in a hurry to malign was approached to serve as the Head of the Interim National Government (ING) while he was in London. And it may interest him to know what Atiku’s response was: ‘(I said) I am not going to be part of a brief administration’.”
“’We decided not to participate in Abacha’s government because we did not want any more military rule’, Atiku was quoted on page 237 of his biography by Dr Adinoyi Ojo Onukaba of blessed memory,” the statement reads.
“Even after prominent members of the political class among them those close to Abiola were picked to serve in Abacha’s government, no member of the Yar’Adua group, among them Atiku, wanted to serve in that regime dictatorship ostensibly because of their commitment to democracy.
“Atiku was instrumental in birthing June 12 following his stepping down for MKO Abiola to emerge as the SDP candidate and eventual winner of that historic election.
“It was to his credit that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party worked assiduously for the exit of the military and enthronement of the democracy that he is still actively involved in deepening. History is stubborn, and not even Festus Keyamo or any other can erase it.”