It is exactly 25 years today that Nigerians woke up to the
annulment of 1993 Presidential Election won by the Late Chief MKO Abiola. For
24 years, June 12th was mostly celebrated by the winners’ ethnic group, Yoruba,
especially in the South-West region.
However, this year celebration is historic because President
Muhammadu Buhari recently recognised the winner along with other June 12
pro-democracy activists, declaring the day as the new day for celebrating
democracy in the country. This declaration has cancelled May 29 adopted for
democracy day celebration after the military exiting the country’s political
space in 1999.
Since the declaration of the day as the new day for
democracy, political activists and citizens across social classes have been
expressing their views. The gesture has been seen as the best approach to honour
the country’s hard earned democracy and unify
democratic forces in the country. Some public analysts have made a case for
having June 12 as a
school subject or course that must be taught in secondary schools and tertiary
institutions throughout the country. According to them, this is imperative
because June 12 is inseparable from the country’s history. To them, June 12 was
an action and ideology that must be nurtured.
Chief
MKO Abiola’s kinsmen also want the date to be the country’s future date for
inauguration of new governments. On the June 12’s honourees, opinions remain
divided among public analysts and socio-cultural organisations on who should be
honoured or not. Most
analysts and societies appreciated honouring of the winner and faulted
President’s exclusion of some pro-June 12 activists.
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