By Gideon Njoku
Ose Anenih, one of the sons of the late powerful Edo State-born politician, Chief Tony Anenih, has tackled main Presidential Spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, over what he described as Onanuga’s use of uncouth language on his late father.
So, he has a message for Bayo:
“I wish you had used your pen today to issue condolences to the victims of the suicide bombings in Kano and Borno than rewriting history and smearing the dead.”
In a strongly-worded letter to Onanuga, he chided the Presidential Spokesperson for insulting the late senior Anenih and misrepresenting him in his narration of the role he played in the June 12 saga.
Trouble started when a former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, in a recent interview alleged that President Tinubu was not a strong advocate for the restoration of the June 12, 1993, Presidential election won by Chief MKO Abiola but canceled by the Military Regime of President Ibrahim Babangida.
According to Lamido, Tinubu exaggerates the role he played in the unsuccessful struggle to retrieve Abiola’s mandate.
Lamido’s statement attracted an immediate strong rebuke from Onanuga who, instead of descending on Lamido alone, added Chief Tony Anenih to the mix
He accused both men of sabotaging and abandoning the struggle for the restoration of June 12 especially, given their positions as the National Chairman (Anenih) and National Secretary (Lamido) of Abiola’s Party, the Social Democratic Party, SDP. And, he said much more.
Disappointed and hurt over Onanuga’s characterization of his late father, Ose penned an open letter to him, to, according to Ose, set the records straight.
Following is the full text of his letter to Onanuga.
“Rebuttal In Defence Of History And My Father
“Dear Bayo, your account of my father’s involvement in June 12 is to put it politely, untrue.
“It is disappointing that you chose to use uncouth language to describe Chief Tony Anenih, and in an official communication from the Presidency no less. I will rise above the emotional baiting that this conversation has clearly sparked and will speak only in the truth.
“I will also assume that your mis-characterisation of historical events stem from ignorance, not malice. To the facts: Chief Abiola initially fled the country after the annulment of the June 12 Presidential election by General Babangida.
“You mentioned that MKO eventually returned. When he did, one of his first visits was to my father, then National Chairman of the SDP in Benin City. True to form, my father confronted Abiola. He accused him, to his face, of abandoning the Party and its supporters in the immediate aftermath of the annulment while they risked their life and limb defending his mandate.
“Abiola’s public response? A bird does not tell his friends that the stone is coming. My father also told me of another conversation, one in which he warned Abiola that his increasingly close dealings with General Abacha would ultimately destroy his chances of reclaiming his mandate.
“At that time, both parties, (SDP and NRC) had negotiated for an Interim National Government with the understanding that it would eventually hand over power to Abiola. MKO walked in step-lock with this arrangement. In fact, strategically, ring fencing a few sensitive Ministerial portfolios for himself.
“But, Abiola, perhaps grew impatient of waiting and decided to pursue a different path. According to Anenih, when he warned Abiola of the folly in trusting the Military, Abiola told him: Whether you go by plane or by car, what matters is that you get to Kano.
“The ING to Abiola was a road trip. Abacha’s Military coup which Abiola publicly encouraged, he regarded as a private jet. In fact, Abiola was one of the first to visit and congratulate Abacha after he overthrew the ING and seized power.
“Now, I’m not aware of any animosity that ever existed between my father and President Tinubu. In fact my father acknowledged that Tinubu had initially spoken out against the delay in announcing the results of the June 12 election.
“It was the only time he mentioned Tinubu in his 260-page book. I have no personal knowledge of what role your Principal played after that, though I find it curious that you consider the early visit to Abacha immediately after a coup to remove the ING he (MKO) he helped birth, a mark of honour.
“Like Lamido said, many of the players in that chapter of our history, like IBB, Abdulsalami, Oyegun, Ikimi, Mark, Ayu, Dele Momodu and others, including Kola, MKO’s son – are still alive. We are also fortunate thar my father wrote his own version of events before he passed.
“It is, however, unfortunate that I have had to defend my father’s name against a lie, and doubly unfortunate that that lie was issued in the name of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I had hoped that this level of toxicity left with the former occupant of your office.
“I am happy to send you a copy of my father’s memoir, my life and Nigerian politics, to help you avoid this sort of historical misadventure in future. I’m just surprised and slightly disappointed that so much energy is going into the retelling of a tale that is more than 30 years old.
“Of what relevance to the average Nigerian is any of this today? I truly wish you had used your pen today to issue condolences to the victims of the suicide bombings in Kano and Borno than re-writing history and smearing the dead.”
