- MKO, Gani Fawehinmi Get Posthumous Award
Perceived winner of the annulled 12th June 1993 Presidential election, late MKO Abiola has been posthumously awarded with the highest honour in Nigeria; Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) 25 years after the election was annulled.
Consequently, President Muhammadu Buhari also declared that Democracy day be celebrated on 12th of June henceforth instead of 29th May. The commemoration and investiture will take place on Tuesday 12th June 2018.
A statement signed by President Buhari on Wednesday, explained that 12th June 1993 was the day Nigerians in their millions expressed their democratic will in what was undisputedly the freest, fairest and most peaceful elections since independence.
According to the statement, “the fact that the outcome of that election was not upheld by the then military government does not distract from the democratic credentials of the process.”
According to the release, “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.”
The release also stated that human rights activist; late Chief Gani Fawehinmi SAN is to be awarded posthumously a GCON.
Reactions
Reacting to this development, former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani kayode, commended the President for the development while describing it as overdue.
Reacting to the development through his twitter handle Fani Kayode said , “I commend @MBuhari for announcing June 12th as our new Democracy Day.
“This is long overdue and I am pleasantly surprised. I also commend him for honoring Chief MKO Abiola, the winner of the June 12th 1993 presidential election, with the posthumus award of GCON.
Also reacting to the development, the pioneer Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu said it is a celebration of democracy. He stated further that it is celebration of struggle and sacrifice for the collective good.
In another twist, a former media spokesperson of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri described it as hypocrisy, he said that that action of president Buhari is desperation for the southwest vote in the 2019 general elections.
“President @Mbuhari is a joke. In desperation for the Southwest vote, he has declared June 12, Democracy Day a d given MKO Abiola a posthumous GCFR. What hypocrisy! This was a man who served Abacha while Abacha jailed Abiola. This was a man who praised Abacha, Abiola’s jailer!
The Poeples Democratic Party, PDP in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan also said President Buhari’s action was out of hypocrisy and desperation for votes in the southwest in the coming general elections.
According to the PDP “ President Buhari’s action merely sought to use the name and person of Chief Abiola to gain a political capital and not out of genuine reverence and recognition of him.
“It is therefore a sign of political desperation for President Buhari to seek to use Chief Abiola’s name as a tool to sway Nigerians in less than twelve months to an elections where he (President Buhari) is seeking a second term.”
The party challenged Buhari to honour Chief Abiola by ending all anti-democratic proclivities of his administration and allow for the rule of law and respect for the constitution.