The Place of Tofa in History

BRIEFINGNOTES

Last Monday, prominent Nigerians mourned the passage of Alhaji Bashir Tofa, who had shocked many when at 45, he emerged the candidate of the major political party in the country, National Republican Convention, in the 1993 presidential election, Vanessa Obioha writes

istory will always remember Bashir Tofa, as the National Republican Convention (NRC) candidate who contested in the 1993 presidential election, adjudged to be the freest and fairest election ever conducted in Nigeria.

Tofa died on Monday, January 3 at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) after a brief illness, and was immediately buried according to Islamic rites. He was aged 74.

The deceased was more than just the opponent of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in that controversial election.

He was a statesman, reputed for speaking up for the country and suggesting ideas through which some of the crises affecting Nigeria could be tackled. For instance, in 2019, he spoke against the zoning of the presidency in the upcoming 2023 elections, stating that it was a futile effort that would not promote national unity.

“I have never supported the rotational presidency for the simple fact that it is an idea that will never promote unity amongst Nigerians. It is a very divisive and myopic formula. What Nigeria needs is a Nigerian President, not a sectional or zonal president, who is there simply because he/she is from a particular zone or region of the country. For zones to be clamouring for presidency as a do-or-die affair during each election cycle, is certainly one major factor for the utter disunity we experience in these difficult times. Rotational presidency is utterly undemocratic and unfair to qualified people who have ambitions to lead their country but won’t be availed with the opportunity because they are from the wrong zone at that material time. The shouts of ‘it must be our turn’ from one or two zones, and ‘no, it is not’, are the consequence of a rotational presidency, which are very inimical to the unity of this country,” he reportedly said.

A promoter of national unity, Tofa had constantly referred to his thoughts expressed in his 1986 book ‘In Search of Unity,’ which was never published. In that book, he argued that for the country to move forward, there must be a national roundtable where each ethnic group would lay out their wants and conditions to live together. “But therein, lies the fundamental question: What if the group wants a separation as seen protested today by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB),” he said.

Tofa concluded that a negotiation directed towards restructuring Nigeria was still relevant.

Given the rising insecurity that marked early 2021, Tofa had also condemned ethnic conflagration on an online publication.

“If any Nigerian will not be allowed to live freely and conduct his/her life and business in any part of the country without being disturbed or molested or even killed, then no one should be allowed to settle and prosper anywhere else. If that were to be the case, then, we have no country. That is how serious it is. And that is what our enemies’ desire,” he was quoted as saying.

Tofa, alongside former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, and other northern leaders, created a non-partisan organisation tagged ‘Abuja Roundtable’, which was to lead engagement with the federal government on the rising security challenges facing the region.

Born June 20, 1947, Tofa’s foray into politics began in 1976 when he was elected the councillor of Dawakin Tofa LGA in Kano. By then, he had completed his primary education at Shahuci Junior Primary and City Senior Primary School; and his college education at Provincial College, Kano as well as a stint with the Royal Exchange Insurance company, where he worked from 1967 to 1968. He later attended the City of London College for further studies.

In 1977, he was elected a member of the Constituent Assembly. During the Nigerian Second Republic, Tofa was at various times the secretary of the Kano chapter of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). He later became the party’s national financial secretary and was a national member of the Green Revolution National Committee.

During the Third Republic, he was part of the Liberal Movement which metamorphosed to Liberal Convention when it was not registered as a political party. Tofa joined NRC in 1990. In 1993, when the Babangida administration introduced the Option A4 system, Tofa was elected the presidential candidate of NRC representing Kano.

During the party primaries, he defeated Pere Ajunwa, Joe Nwodo and Dalhatu Tafida to clinch the NRC presidential ticket. At the time, he was an ally of Halilu Akilu, the security chief at the time. His running mate in the election was Sylvester Ugoh, a former governor of the now-defunct Central Bank of Biafra. Both were members of the defunct NPN.

Whether Tofa considered Abiola a strong contender at the time or not, his faith in his victory was unwavering even as early results showed that Abiola was leading in 19 states while he was leading in 11.

However, there were reports that he nearly conceded to his opponent before Babangida annulled the election.

As the clamour for the recognition of June 12 grew in subsequent years, President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018 declared the day as the new Democracy Day which was formerly observed on May 29. Buhari had also conferred the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on Abiola. Reacting to the news, Tofa expressed reservations, writing in a statement that “while I do not begrudge the president his power to bestow favour on whomsoever he pleases, it is also important, especially for history, for all actions from the highest authority in the country to be based on fair play and law. Needless to say, being one of the two presidential candidates in that election does not in any way define me or my achievements in life; it was not even the most important one.”

Indeed, Tofa’s life went beyond the political walls. As a businessman, he was chairman of International Petro-Energy Company (IPEC) and Abba Othman and Sons Limited. He was also involved as a board member in Impex Ventures, Century Merchant Bank and General Metal Products Limited.

A part of his life that was rarely glimpsed in public was his literary flair. He was one of the promoters of his indigenous language Hausa, having written more than five books in his native language.

Beyond his active involvement in politics and the business world, Tofa was a consummate writer, publisher and general perfectionist.

As a writer, Tofa’s articles on the socio-economic and political development of Nigeria appeared in the then major national newspapers in the 1970s, including New Nigerian, Daily Times, Nigerian Tribune, The Sketch, and the vernacular tabloid, Gaskiya Tafi Kwabo.

Beyond his journalistic interventions, he was a wordsmith extraordinaire who authored several books and short stories on contemporary issues in both English and Hausa languages.