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As Nigerians wait for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), professor of political economy, Pat Utomi, has reminded them of the aftermath of the 1993 presidential election.
In 1993, following the annulment of the presidential election, violent protests broke out in the southwest region and a lot of people died in the chaos.
The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Moshood Abiola was allegedly coasting to victory when the election was annulled.
30 years after the crisis, Utomi believes the 2023 general election feels like June 12 all over.
Reacting to the rigging that allegedly played out in Lagos and other parts of the country during the 2023 presidential election on Saturday, February 25, 2023, Utomi said he felt the 1993 crisis may happen again.
He tweeted: “Does lightening strike twice. I am overcome by a sense of deja vu. The feeling that I have here before. And my phone rings. It is one of the Abiola sons. And he asks. Does this not feel like June 12 all over. I pray God it does not turn out same way”.
In another tweet, the Labour Party chieftain questioned Nigeria’s democracy, saying it’s better for the country to opt for dictatorship if the people won’t be allowed to choose their leaders in accordance to the tenets of democracy.
He said, “Just a simple philosophical question. If the powerful do not like how the people want to vote should it not be easier to impose a dictatorship. The make belief about democracy is troubling and costly. It’s either we desire democracy or we work on something else”.
Earlier, Utomi’s controversial tweet about the youths burning the country due to alleged electoral irregularities in the election made him a subject of conversation on Twitter as many Nigerians called him out for allegedly inciting electoral violence.
Utomi thereafter deleted the controversial tweet, but many Nigerians have called on the federal government to hold him responsible if crisis breaks out after the election.