By Ayo Kehinde
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu “to promptly set up a presidential panel of enquiry to investigate the unlawful annulment of the elections of June 12 1993, and to identify those suspected to be responsible for the deliberate violations of Nigerians’ democratic freedoms.”
The organisation, in a letter dated June 14, 2025, and signed its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, urged the President “to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, as a defender of public interest, to bring to justice anyone responsible for the unlawful annulment of the elections of June 12 1993, regardless of their political status or affiliation.
“To direct Mr Fagbemi to urgently draft and send to the National Assembly an executive bill to amend the Electoral Act 2022, including to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory and allow access to every voter to election documents.
“To direct Mr Fagbemi to immediately discontinue all the cases of Nigerians arrested, detained and facing unfair prosecutions solely for peacefully exercising their human rights, including participating in peaceful protests.”
President Tinubu had in his speech at the National Assembly, to mark Nigeria’s Democracy Day, expressed commitment “to rededicate ourselves to the ideals of June 12; freedom, transparent and accountable government, social justice, active citizen participation, and a just society where no one is oppressed.”
Holding the President to his words, SERAP said, “These expressed commitments won’t be enough unless your government demonstrates the political will to combat impunity for the annulment of the June 12 elections and advance Nigerians’ democratic freedoms.
“No one is above the law, and there is no statute of limitations for violations of democratic freedoms. The ‘ideals of June 12’ cannot be achieved and real democracy cannot flourish in Nigeria without electoral accountability, democratic and human rights reforms and strict obedience to the rule of law.”
