On August 16, 1983, the Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) held general elections for governorships across Nigeria. Alhaji Shehu Shagari, the then President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, promised Nigerians that the general elections would be free and fair, but this promise turned out to be in vain. The announcement of the election results was accompanied by widespread violence in some states! The crisis began in Ondo State when Deputy Governor Akin Omoboriowo failed to get the approval of Governor Adekunle Ajasin, Obafemi Awolowo and the ruling party machinery for his governorship ambitions. The Obafemi Awolowo-led United Party of Nigeria (UPN), which is also the country’s largest opposition party, favored a second term for Adekunle Ajasin.Akin Omoboriowo, like any other opportunistic and ambitious politician, considered staying in the UPN. Ondo State’s opposition party, which is also the country’s ruling party, the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), led by President Shehu Shagari, saw Akin Omoboriowo’s disappointment as a golden opportunity to join the party’s ranks and stronghold to penetrate. Pan-Yoruba Party and established itself further in the southwest. Akin Omoboriowo was fined for running for the NPN and as expected resigned as deputy governor of Ondo State. This stunt is of course a recipe for violence, but none of the political actors seem to have cared enough about the impact this decision will have on their supporters. They have done little to remind us that politics in this climate easily succumbs to violence.In fact, as the gubernatorial election approached, they increasingly encouraged violence with their vindictive rhetoric. In elections were held and eventually FEDECO appointed Akin Omoboriowo as the elected governor. There is no doubt that the lead and other technical details were not right. Several observers and experts described the 1983 general elections as the most fraudulent in Nigeria’s history. Adekunle Ajasin appealed to the Court of Appeal and eventually won a seat on the court, but the subsequent military coup prevented him and other elected politicians from taking office.Ajasin was replaced by Commander Bamidele Otiko and he and Omoboriowo spent time in detention. We can also say that anger over electoral fraud was at the origin of the coup that ended the Second Republic on December 31, 1983.
Akin Omobiorowo
The then Oyo Police Commissioner, Umaru Omolowo, who was in charge of security, announced that at least 40 people were killed in Akure, including two NPN Congress candidates, Olaiya Fagbamigbe and Kunle Agunbiade, who Omolowo said were attacked by a fire angry mob. Omoboriowo and Akerele narrowly survived, and Akerele and his family fled the city the night before his house was burned down by angry protesters. To counter the escalation, FEDECO indefinitely postponed the scheduled senatorial elections in Ondo State, at the end of which the rioters set fire to their offices. By some reports, this outbreak of violence in Ondo was the worst in Yorubaland’s post-independence history, surpassing, according to at least one newspaper, the “Operation Wetie” riots of the 1960s. is suspected of contributing to rigged elections and the lives of other innocent citizens.In fact, the unconfirmed claim states that “Hon. “Kunle Ajibade, a prominent UPN member who defected to the NPN along with Akin Omoboriowo, was beheaded and his head taken to Adekunle Ajasin.” There is no doubt that the Electoral Commission failed miserably in 1983 to provide dignified, free people and organize fair elections. This reminds us that the military believes it can salvage the situation when democratic institutions fail to fulfill their mandate. However, we can all agree that previous military interventions were disastrous and a setback for post-independence democracy.Therefore, for the security of life and well-being of all citizens, the patriotism required for the honest fulfillment of our national duties and roles is not only non-negotiable but should also be a prerequisite. .
