12th June, 2012
Nigerian Senator Smart Adeyemi (PDP Kogi) on Tuesday said the late Chief MKO Abiola deserved all the commendations for playing a leading role in the restoration of democracy in the country.
Adeyemi, who spoke in Abuja , urged the President to declare June 12 a national holiday in commemoration of MKO.
He noted that June 12 remains “a very historic day in the nation’s political history.’’ He commended President Goodluck Jonathan for being the first leader to honour MKO’s contribution to return democratic governance in the country.
“I must commend the President for appreciating the role MKO played in the restoration of democracy. A man who laid down his life for democracy deserves all the commendation. Jonathan deserves commendation, but we urge him to take a final step to make June 12 a public holiday, if we can’t make it democracy day. Since the first step has been taken, I don’t think it will be difficult to take this final step to immortalize MKO, ‘’ Adeyemi added.
Sen. Ayogu Eze (PDP- Enugu) urged Nigerians to be supportive of government’s effort to immortalise the memory of the late politician and renowned philantropist. Eze urged Nigerians to appreciate current efforts by the government to recognise the contributions of MKO to the restoration of democratic government in the country.
He observed that in spite of government’s action to immortalise MKO, many people would still condemn government as not doing enough.
“Nothing that’s done to immortalise Abiola’s name will be said to be grand or enough for his contributions to democracy. Our people should stop being hypocrites and start to be realistic. Government renamed Unilag after Abiola but the same people rose up against the action.
“Let’s accept the current efforts to immortalise Abiola before we start making further demands”, he added.
The lawmaker urged politicians to emulate the democratic disposition of the late MKO and bring it to bear in their utterances and actions for the wellbeing of the citizens.
Some members of the House of Representatives have also spoken on the significance of June 12, in the history of Nigeria’s democracy.
In an interview, Rep. Ganama Kwaga (PDP-Adamawa) said the election was devoid of religious and ethnic sentiments.
“This was a day Nigerians came out without religious differences to vote for two Muslims as President and Vice President respectively,” he said.
Ganama said that the election was the most transparent, free and fair elections ever held in the country. The day marked the agitation for democracy by Nigerians and gave birth to May 29, that was declared a public holiday.
Rep. Godfrey Gaiya (PDP-Kaduna), the Chairman of House Committee on Sports, described June 12 as a turning point in the struggle to entrench democratic principles in the country.
He said that it would be meaningful if the day was declared Moshood Abiola day as it was done in the case of Martin Luther King Jnr. in the U.S
The late MKO Abiola won the June 12, 1993 presidential election on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
However, the election was annulled by Ibrahim Babangida, causing a political crisis which led to Gen. Sani Abacha seizing power from the interim government headed by Chief Ernest Shonekan in November 1993.
MKO died on July 7, 1998, after the death of Abacha in June 1998.