The parliament, which unanimously passed the resolution at its second session, held at the LaGuardia Crowne Plaza in New York, also approved a motion that the former military president should be banned from holding any public office in the country for his role in the derailment of what is believed to be the freest and fairest election in Nigeria’s history.
The Nigeria Peoples’ Parliament in Diaspora, an initiative of the Nigeria Democratic Liberty Forum, a New-York based pro-democracy group, is a platform for citizens in the Diaspora to “cross fertilize ideas” and suggest solutions to the country’s myriad problems. Its first plenary was in March this year.
The resolutions on Babangida, at Saturday’s session, deliberately scheduled to coincide with the 17th anniversary of the annulled poll, followed an extensive debate on the significance of the 1993 election in Nigeria’s democratic journey.
After more than half of the over 80 parliamentarians at the session had spoken, (most of them paying glowing tributes to the winner of that election, Moshood Abiola, and those who were killed and incarcerated in the battle to de-annul the election), the Speaker, Okey Ndibe, a professor of Literature at Trinity College, Connecticut, called for motions.
Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Saharareporters.com, an online news medium, and Alex Kabba, publisher of African Abroad-USA, a New York-based newspaper, moved “That IBB be banned from public office indefinitely.”
In the motion, seconded by a certain Bukola Shonuga, Messrs Sowore and Kabba argued that Babangida had made himself a criminal by derailing Nigeria’s democratic journey and setting the country many years back. They, therefore, want him arrested and prosecuted.
“The time has come for punishment to be meted on the criminals who annulled that election,” Mr. Sowore said. “We must also find out from Babangida those who put a gun to his head and asked him to annul the election. They should all be identified, interrogated, and appropriately punished.”
After the motion was passed, several others followed in its wake. NDLF’s chairman, Adegboyega Dada, a physician, moved that Mr. Babangida should be declared an enemy of democracy and of the Nigerian people while “June 12 should be declared Democracy Day and be so recognised by the Nigerian government.”
The motion, seconded by a Mr. Dimeji Ayanwale, was unanimously passed.
Then Haziz Ajayi, who came from Chicago, proposed that to honour Mr. Abiola, his photograph should replace that of former Central Bank of Nigeria’s governors on the N1000 note. Gbenga Agbaje moved that the late businessman-cum-politician should be posthumously declared winner of the election.
Chukwuma Okadigwe, Emmanuel Onasile, Dimeji Lawal, Ololade Lacrown, Biliaminu Faleti, Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba, and Mutiu Leshi proposed different motions asking the government to declare June 12 a national holiday and erect monuments in honour of Mr. Abiola and other heroes of the pro-democracy struggle that arose from the cancellation of the election. All the motions succeeded.
Earlier, during the debate on the anniversary of the annulled election, Mr. Ndibe described June 12 as “one of those moments that the promise and prospect of Nigeria as a viable political entity came alive.”
In a prepared speech he gave before the parliament began its deliberation, Mr. Dada lamented the annulment of the 1993 election and urged Nigerians “to renew your spirit in readiness for the task ahead. Together, we can do new things. Remember, patriots never keep mute.”
Before closing the session, the parliament received and deliberated on the report of its electoral and constitutional review committee.
The seven-member committee, chaired by Bolaji Aluko, a professor of chemical engineering at Howard University in Washington, recommended that the electoral system used for the 1993 election should be adopted for the 2011 elections.
The committee also suggested that the Independent National Electoral Commission should have an oversight board comprising representatives of political parties, and that Nigerians in the Diaspora should be eligible to vote.
Another highlight of the 30-point recommendations urged the National Assembly to adopt the Justice Uwais report, which stated that the National Judicial Council, rather than the president, should have the responsibility of appointing INEC official.
The parliament announced that it would raise a well-equipped team that would travel to Nigeria to monitor the forthcoming general elections.