Politics

Democracy Day: Group celebrates MKO Abiola, as beacon of current democracy in Nigeria

Published

2 years ago

June 13, 2024

Democracy Day: Group celebrates MKO Abiola, as beacon of current democracy in Nigeria

A human rights advocacy group, Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), on Wednesday, celebrated Bashorun MKO Abiola, acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, as a beacon of the current democracy in Nigeria.

The Executive Chairman of the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, in a statement in Oshogbo, Osun State, described late Bashorun MKO Abiola as a beacon of current democratic experiment in the country.

He maintained that the late wife of Abiola, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, including Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Dr. Beko Ransome- Kuti, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Alao Aka-Bashorun, Abraham Adesanya, Bola Ige, Alfred Rewane, Adekunle Ajasin, Anthony Enahoro, Ola Oni, and others, who have transited to great beyond, were in the vanguard of the relentless struggle for the restoration of the annulled June 12 presidential election, which gave birth to the current democratic experiment in Nigeria.

Sulaiman also acknowledged that the living legends of the struggle for restoration of democracy in the Country include Pa Ayo Adebanjo, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Femi Falana, Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, Omoyele Sowore, Shehu Sanni, Osagie Obayuwana, Femi Aborisade, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (the incumbent President), Adeola Shoetan, Segun Sango, Lanre Suraj, Dipo Fashina, Amitolu Shittu, Niyi Owolade, Shina Odugbemi, and host of others, who led the struggle at the national level to terminate military regime and restore civilian government after annulment of the June 12 Presidential election.

The Executive Chairman of the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) also stated

that in Osun State, certain forces were coordinated by Comrade Amitolu Shittu to ensure democracy return back to the Country. The human actors include Waheed Lawal, Sefiu Ayanbimpe, Tunji Akande, Goke Butika, Kayode Adebisi, Ademola Bankole, Najeem Olawuwo, Prince K, Rufus Oyatoro, among others, adding that journalists in the country also played an important role in the fight for the actualization of the annulled June 12 Presidential election.

Sulaiman, who is also Convener, Save Lagos Group (SLG), maintained that Chief Abiola and others made supreme sacrifice by laying down their precious life for democracy to come back to the country, decrying that certain elements had bastardized democratic governance by denying the Nigeria masses of dividends of democracy.

He urged President Bola Tinubu to brace up in governing the country aright because people have been feeling the pains and pangs of his policies, insisting that the Nigeria masses could not continue bear the current untold hardship in the land.

Sulaiman declared that the current democratic experiment in the country is yet to throw up the good democratic leaders across the tiers of government in the last 25 years, stating that the leadership training process of the nation has been the bane of Nigeria’s development.