STILL savouring the euphoria of posthumous national award to Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola by the federal government, leaders of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) are rallying several groups for a grand event in Lagos to mark the silver jubilee of the annulled June 12 1993 presidential election.
A top notch of the coalition told Sunday Tribune that NADECO had held strategic meetings in Lagos towards producing a well-coordinated progamme of action that would culminate in the grand event on Tuesday.
This is coming as top government functionaries fine-tune arrangements for the formal conferment on the beneficiaries of the awards on Tuesday.
NADECO, a pan-Nigeria political movement, formed the nucleus of the sustained tough struggle against the cancellation of the 1993 election and the exit of military from political power in 1999.
Other groups like the June 12 Movement of Nigeria and the Nigeria Intervention Movement, (NIM), are collaborating on a roundtable to commemorate the anniversary with the Lagos, Osun, Oyo and Ogun state governments declaring a one-day public holiday.
The June 12 Movement, had engaged in a series of programmes as a prelude to the anniversary and made three demands that should be of priorities to the authorities to fully atone for the annulment.
The organisation said the residence of Abiola in Lagos should be converted and named Centre of Democracy in Nigeria, and that the deceased should be officially pronounced as the winner of the 1993 election as already established by the then National Electoral Commission (NEC) under Professor Humphrey Nwosu.
According to the chairman of the organising committee of the roundtable, Professor Anthony Kila, the session will host leading presidential aspirants for the 2019 elections towards inspiring and setting a cohesive agenda.
“As it is accustomed with the organisers in an election year, the raison d’être for this presidential roundtable themed:2019: Towards a formidable and Cohesive electoral intervention for a new Nigeria, is to create a platform for profound understanding among contending aspirants in the 2019 general elections towards ensuring that the Nigerian people and electorates get the very best for a ballot based – PVC driven revolution to be effected for a new Nigeria to emerge in 2019.
“The Nigerian Presidency is expected to grace this ceremony, which high point will be a brief ceremony to honour the immortal memory of the supreme sacrifice of the martyr of Nigerian current democracy, MKO Abiola annually anchored by the Convener of June 12 Movement of Nigeria, Veteran Olawale Okunniyi, under the distinguished chairmanship of legal icon and human rights advocate, Dr Olisa Agbakoba SAN, chairman of Nigeria Intervention Movement(NIM),” he stated.
He has applied healing balm —Bolaji Akinyemi
Former Deputy Chairman of the 2014 National Conference, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, has also list of prominent Nigerians hailed President Buhari for honouring late Chief Abiola and also declaring June 12 as Democracy Day.
Akinyemi, who is also former minister of foreign affairs, gave this commendation in a signed statement, sent to the Sunday Tribune, asserting that President Buhari had with the award of honours to Abiola and others, including Ambassador Babagana Kingibe and Chief Gani Fawehinmi assuaged some of the wounds inflicted on the nation “as a result of annulment of the freest and fairest election in the country and applied healing balm on those wounds.
“Only those who lost family members, those imprisoned and detained or who had family members imprisoned and detained, those tortured and those driven into exile had felt the need for some measure of closure. That closure was achieved on June 6 by the executive order issued by President Buhari,” Prof. Akinyemi said.
He also said the day marked the fulfilment of dreams, and the achievement of visions for him as a member of a pro-democracy group, National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) that was involved in the June 12 struggle when it was most dangerous to do so.
“As a member of NADECO in its heyday when it was most dangerous to be a member, June 6 marked the fulfilment of dreams, and the achievement of visions.
“I recognised how momentous that decision was and I not only welcome the decision, I thank President Buhari for the decision,” Akinyemi said.
The former foreign affairs minister, however, appealed to the president to consider for future honours other Nigerians, who equally played key role in the June 12 struggle, including Dan Suleiman, Rear-Admiral Ndubisi Kanu, Mr Frank Kokori, National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Oyegun; Dr. Akingba, late journalist, Bagauda Kaltho, among others, noting that the declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day was a victory for all Nigerians and not just for those who voted for MKO Abiola.
Name national monument after Abiola —Adeyemi
Former Chairman of Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senator Smart Adeyemi has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for awarding Chief MKO Abiola with Nigeria’s highest national honour.
Adeyemi, in a chat with newsmen in Abuja said that the honour done to Abiola means that the president has activated a section of Nigeria’s national anthem which indicates that the labour of our heroes past shall never be in vain.
He said that what the president has done amounts to righting the wrongs of the past adding that the decision was commendable because it is tailored towards uniting Nigerians and ensuring peace.
He said: “I want to say that what the president has done is highly commendable. What he has done is to right the wrongs of the past as a patriot and leader who is committed to the socio-political and economic development of the country. He has shown a great sense of character as a man who is committed to the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria. What he has done is one of the landmark achievements and by this, he has put effect to one of the lines in our National Anthem which says ‘the labour of our heroes past shall never be in vain.’ Whenever the history of our democracy is going to be written, President Buhari would certainly get a positive mention.”
He also called on the president to not only honour MKO Abiola but also recognise all the heroes of June 12 whether dead or alive. According to him, a monument that will contain all the names of those who played their part in the June 12 struggle should be erected in a befitting edifice to be named after MKO Abiola.
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Junaid Mohammed, Tanko Yakassai criticise Buhari
While also speaking, former House of Representatives member and activist, Dr Junaid Muhammed said President Buhari’s declaration smirks of deceit, querying why the president made the pronouncement just months to the 2019 elections.
“As far as I’m concerned, the recent pronouncement by President Muhammadu Buhari that June 12 should now be a Democracy Day in honour of Chief Moshood Abiola amounted to nothing. It is nothing but an empty deceitful political gimmick.
“He had a lot of time from 2015 to date to make the announcement or ammendment for any wrong done to Abiola or any other of his family or anybody else,” he stated.
Similarly, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, former Special Adviser on National Assembly matters to former president, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, while reacting, said President Buhari only changed dates from May 29 to June 12, but that it is better late to recognise Abiola’s contribution to democracy than never.
He accused Buhari of never speaking against annulment of June 12, 1993 election before now, adding that whether what he did recently was politically moltivated or not is immaterial.
Alhaji Yakassai said he would love to see the result of the June 12 1993 election fully made public and Chief Abiola officially declared as winner.
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