Connect with us

Politics

By honouring Abiola, Fawehinmi, Buhari has proven his democratic credentials— Tinubu

Published

on

OYEGUN TENURE ELONGATION: Buhari has saved our party from turmoil —Tinubu

The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for his decision to declare June 12 Nigeria’s new Democracy Day and award of the GCFR title to MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the 1993 presidential election.

Tinubu, a foremost figure in the pro-June 12 struggle and the first governor to officially recognize the date while serving as Lagos State governor, said he received the news that June 12 will replace May 29 as Democracy Day with excitement.

Tinubu also commended the president for the honour bestowed on late rights activist and lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi.

A statement he signed on Thursday read, “This is good news for democracy and a proud moment for Nigeria. While impossible to go back in time and change the past, we must do our utmost to correct the wrongs of the past. This is what President Buhari has done by this decision. He has shown all Nigerians and the world that we have the moral fortitude to objectively face our history, learn from it and improve our society by virtue of this learning.

“June 12, more than any other day, symbolizes the struggles and sacrifices made by countless Nigerians to establish democracy as our way of national governance. Chief MKO Abiola and others gave their lives that we might have democracy, that the will of the people would be sovereign and not suppressed by the will of the few. This proclamation by President Buhari will forever memorialize the sacrifices made by these patriots who gave of themselves in service of such a noble and rightful purpose.

“The award of GCFR to Chief Abiola serves as an acknowledgement that he won the 1993 election and should have been allowed to serve as our president after winning that free and fair expression of the popular will. We also commend the award to MKO Abiola’s VP candidate, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe and that given to Chief Gani Fawehinmi. Chief Fawehinmi was a fearless advocate for democracy and the human rights of the common man. Whenever and wherever he spoke, it was the language of truth to power.

Read also: Buhari well within the law on June 12 and posthumous national award— Falana

“The designation of June 12 as Democracy Day is the fulfillment of the dream and efforts of many of us. With this fulfillment comes a civic responsibility. We must consecrate this new holiday and ourselves so that we make it a living holiday. More so than ever before, the spirit of June 12 must live within us. It must guide our politics and how we govern ourselves. We must continuously dedicate ourselves to the freedoms and rights as well as the duties that democracy bestows on us all, political friend and foe alike.

“This presidential proclamation should forever bury ill-conceived notion that President Buhari is ambivalent to democracy. He has shown that he not only respects democracy but duly honors it. Democracy may be rough and untidy at times but it remains the form of government best suited for a society as diverse and multifaceted as ours.

“Today, the sun shines a bit more brightly. The sound of democracy peals more resolutely across the land. The sacrifices of Chief Abiola and others have been affirmed by the federal government he once should have led. Democracy has been given its proper seat and day. History has been corrected to the extent humanly possible. Nigeria continues to define its better self. Of this new Democracy Day and what it symbolizes, we all should be equally proud.”

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now