"Activists have failed. We have seen activists that were given appointments, and yet they failed. When you were a senator, how did you perform? What was your performance as a senator?"
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Thursday, slammed former Senator Shehu Sani over the latter's claim that pro-democracy activists should have taken power in 1999 after the exit of the military.
Mr Wike, a former Governor of Rivers State, questioned the performance of Mr Sani as a member of the 8th Assembly, stating that "activists don't perform in office".
The minister said this at the 2024 Annual Lecture and Awards ceremony organised by This Nigeria newspaper Annual Lecture and Gold Prize Award in Abuja on Thursday.
The theme of the event was "25 Years of Nigeria's Unbroken Democracy: Prospects & Possibilities. "
During a panel discussion, Mr Sani, a prominent activist during the struggle against the military in the 90s, narrated how pro-democracy activists shunned the transition plan of the Abudulsalam Abubakar regime, a decision the former lawmaker said allowed the career politicians to take over power.
He disclosed that the former military leader urged most of them to participate in the transition process, but they declined.
He added that by the time they changed their minds, the career politicians had taken over.
Mr Sani said some of the prominent activists, including the late legal luminary, Gani Fawehinmi, Femi Falana and others, declined to participate but that Bola Tinubu, who later became the governor of Lagos in 1999, agreed to participate in the transition process.
"...And after four years in prison, when we came out from prison, this is where the story is going to begin. Abdulsalam Abubakar invited all who fought for democracy--'that I am going to hand over power to a democratically elected government. I want all of you, the freedom fighters, to come together and take over power.' At that very time, Gani opposed it. Three times, he invited us; we even refused to answer his calls.
"He didn't invite the politicians; they were knocking at his door. After we decided to listen to him, we came and sat down.
"But after our struggle in 1998 and 1999, we said we were not going to cooperate with the military. Gani opposed, Falana opposed, all opposed. It was Tinubu who said if we don't get in, who would be there?
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"By the time we all agreed to join the politics, politicians had taken over all positions. Gani tried to be president, and Falana tried to be governor of his state, he couldn't. I tried to be governor of Kaduna State, I couldn't because all the spaces had been taken over," Mr Sani said.
It was at this point that Mr Wike requested the microphone, stating that just because Mr Sani and others participated in the struggle does not mean power should be handed over to them.
Mr Wike said activists often fail at governance, adding that Mr Sani should produce his scorecard as a senator.
He said, "The mere fact that you were an activist does not mean that you do well. Activists have always failed.
"Activists have failed. We have seen activists that were given appointments, and yet they failed. When you were a senator, how did you perform? What was your performance as a senator?"
Mr Wike also took a shot at another panellist, Mike Ozekhome, a prominent lawyer, during the diatribe.
He asked Mr Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), not to pontificate on election matters.
"And you said something about taking the election side. As an activist, how many times have you rejected briefs, those who have rigged the election, you have always defended them," Mr Wike said.
Messrs Sani and Ozekhome did not get the opportunity to reply.
