Nigeria’s democracy dead: hope died with June 12, 1993

Today, as Nigeria’s political class hypocritically celebrates Democracy Day, we remember June 12, 1993—not just as a historical event, but as a brutal reminder of how this nation’s destiny has been hijacked, bastardized, and left to bleed by successive governments. The same forces that annulled MKO Abiola’s mandate have regrouped under different disguises, wearing agbada and military uniforms, looting with impunity while Nigerians suffer. This is not a celebration—it is a funeral for the democracy we were promised but never got.

The Good: A Memory That Shames Today’s Rulers

June 12 proved Nigerians could rise above ethnic and religious divisions when given a chance. The people spoke with one voice, electing Abiola in a landslide—only for a cabal of military dictators to tear the results apart. Decades later, the same spirit of defiance forced the government to recognize June 12 as Democracy Day. But what is the value of a holiday when the democracy it honors is dead? The ruling class celebrates the symbol while killing the substance.

The Bad: A Government of Thieves and Tyrants

Since 1999, Nigeria has been ruled by a mafia—politicians who see government as a criminal enterprise.

Nigeria’s Elections are no longer contests of ideas but auctions where the highest bidder takes all. INEC, under this administration, has become a joke, openly rigging elections with brazen impunity. The judiciary, once the last hope of the common man, now rubber-stamps electoral fraud. The 2023 elections were not just flawed; they were a coup against democracy, supervised by those sworn to protect it.

The Ugly: A Nation Left to Rot

Look around—Nigeria is a graveyard of dreams. Inflation is eating people alive. Unemployment has turned graduates into beggars. Bandits and terrorists collect taxes in villages while soldiers run from battle. Meanwhile, politicians fly in private jets, build castles abroad, and stash billions in foreign accounts. Hospitals are mortuaries, schools are ruins, and hunger is the new national anthem. This is not bad governance—it is “treason” against the Nigerian people.

The Great Betrayal: From Abiola’s Hope to Tinubu’s Nightmare

MKO Abiola’s “Hope ’93” promised prosperity for all. Thirty years later, Bola Tinubu’s government has delivered only pain. Fuel prices have tripled, the naira has collapsed, and corruption has reached industrial scale. The same politicians who claim to honor June 12 are the ones killing its legacy. They mouth democratic slogans while strangling dissent, bribing judges, and using security forces to silence critics.

June 12 was never just a date—it was a revolution interrupted. The same forces that killed Abiola’s mandate are still in power today, wearing suits instead of uniforms. But history teaches us one truth: no tyranny lasts forever. The Nigerian people will rise again. They will demand justice, not just in the courts but in the streets. They will reclaim their country from the thieves in power.

Until then, Nigeria’s Democracy Day is nothing but a mockery—a day when our oppressors dare us to remember what they stole. But we will remember. And one day, we will take it back.

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