BUHARI DECLARES JUNE 12 DEMOCRACY DAY TO HONOUR ABIOLA

“Accordingly, after due consultations, the Federal government has decided that henceforth, June 12th will be celebrated as Democracy Day. Therefore, Government has decided to award posthumously the highest honour of the land, GCFR, to late Chief MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12th 1993 cancelled elections’.

‘His running mate as Vice President, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, is also to be invested with a GCON. Furthermore, the tireless fighter for human rights and the actualization of the June 12th elections and indeed for Democracy in general, the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi SAN is to be awarded the GCON’.

“The investiture will take place on Tuesday June 12th, 2018, a date which in future years will replace May 29th as a National Public Holiday in celebration of Nigeria Democracy Day”, the Presidency declared

Penpushing, however, recalled that, election data showed that Abiola won the polls but he was never formally declared winner, nor sworn into office by the Military Government of Ibrahim Babangida.

Ironically, Abiola was later imprisoned by the Sani Abacha’s military regime as he struggled to actualise his mandate,but in the process died in prison in 1998. Successive governments have brushed aside calls for Mr Abiola to be honoured and for the federal government to recognise June 12 as democracy day.