The Think Yoruba First (TYF) organisation worldwide has strongly condemned comments by former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, on the June 12 struggle, accusing him of rewriting history and denying credit to key figures who risked their lives for democracy.

In the same vein, Ose Anenih, son of the late elder statesman and former Chairman of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), the late Tony Anenih, has rebutted the recent remarks by presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, accusing him of distorting historical facts surrounding the annulled June 12, 1993, election and his father’s role in the events that followed.

ALSO, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, said Lamido was dishonest with the submission that Tinubu supported the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

In a statement, yesterday, by its Public Relations Officer (PRO), Montero Oluwole, TYF stressed President Bola Tinubu’s significant contributions to the June 12 struggle.

According to him, Tinubu, as the senator representing Lagos West, actively campaigned for Moshood Abiola and delivered his constituency. Oluwole also recalled Tinubu’s bravery during the struggle, noting that he funded protests alongside notable activists like Dr Frederick Fasehun, Femi Falana (SAN) and Prof Wole Soyinka.

He noted that Tinubu’s home was fire-bombed by the Sani Abacha military regime, and he was forced into exile, where he continued to support the struggle.

Tinubu, he added, played a crucial role in organising escapes for fellow activists, providing financial support to those in need, and contributing to the sustenance of Radio Kudirat, a station established by NADECO in the United Kingdom.
Further, the statement cited Soyinka’s acknowledgement of Tinubu’s efforts, including his importation of rice from Thailand to fund the struggle.

The group challenged Lamido to counter the facts and evidence supporting Tinubu’s involvement, warning that it would no longer sit idly by while those who sold their honour and stabbed Abiola in the back, in an attempt to rubbish the heroes who put their lives, family, careers, and money on the line for democracy.

The statement reads: “Rewriting history and denying opponents their well-earned credit is below the ‘red’ line. How do people like Lamido sleep at night? Even among ‘thieves’, there should be a little honour.”

In a letter, yesterday, Anenih took exception to what he described as an “uncouth” portrayal of his father by Onanuga, in a communication that carried the authority of the Presidency.

He expressed disappointment over what he called the politicisation of history and the post-humous disparagement of a man who, he argued, played a key role in managing a turbulent chapter of Nigeria’s democratic struggle.

Anenih said he would avoid emotional baiting but felt compelled to correct a misrepresentation of history. “I will assume that your mischaracterisation of historical events stems from ignorance, not malice,” he wrote, in reference to Onanuga’s commentary.

He recalled that following the annulment of the June 12 election, Abiola initially fled the country and visited Anenih in Benin City when he returned. During that visit, the man known as ‘Mr fix It’ reportedly confronted Abiola over his abandonment of SDP and its supporters at a crucial moment.

Alake, speaking during an Arise Television interview on Sunday, described Lamido’s narrative as “false, revisionist and historically dishonest”. The minister insisted that Tinubu was a central figure in the fight to actualise Abiola’s mandate.

He said it was ironic that Lamido, who was national secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), dared to accuse Tinubu of betrayal when he and the party’s leadership “capitulated to the military”.

Alake said he wrote Abiola’s first public declaration of interest to contest the 1993 election as editor of Sunday Concord and has first-hand knowledge of the events of the time.

He added that Tinubu was fully committed to the pro-democracy movement before, during and after the election, restating the President’s role in persuading Atiku Abubakar to step down for Abiola during the SDP primaries.

The minister dismissed Lamido’s claim that Tinubu’s mother, the late Abibatu Mogaji, mobilised support for the annulment, as “completely untrue”.
Alake said Tinubu not only condemned the annulment as a senator but also helped organise mass protests against the decision, before Abacha seized power in November 1993.