*Confers him with GCFR, awards GCON to Kingibe, Fawehinmi
President Muhammadu Buhari made history Wednesday as he announced June 12 as the new date for the celebration of Democracy Day in Nigeria.
By this singular decision President Buhari has made history as he is first President in Nigeria’s 19 years of return to democracy to recognise June 12 as democracy day and winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election scuttled by former Military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, who is now late, Alhaji Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola with a conferment of presidential national honour, Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR).
The President in a tweet on his official handle explained why June 12 will replace May 29. He noted that June 12 is a more symbolic day.
“Dear Nigerians, I am delighted to announce that, after due consultations, the Federal Government has decided that henceforth, June 12 will be celebrated as Democracy Day.
“We have also decided to award posthumously the highest Honour in the land, GCFR, to the late Chief MKO Abiola.
“In the view of Nigerians, as shared by this Administration, June 12, 1993, was and is far more symbolic of Democracy in the Nigerian context than May 29, or even October 1,” his tweet read.
The President did not stop on Abiola alone, he went further to also recognise his Vice Presidential candidate, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, conferring him with the second highest national honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).
Buhari did that just as he also posthumously recognized late Gani Fawehinmi for his role in the actualisation of June 12, 1993 presidential elections.
“Chief Abiola’s running mate, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, is also to be awarded a GCON.
“Furthermore, the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, a tireless fighter for human rights and democracy, and for the actualisation of the June 12, 1993 elections, will be posthumously awarded a GCON.”
Buhari said further that, June 12, 1993, election was the freest, fairest and most peaceful election since Nigeria’s Independence.
“June 12, 1993, was the day millions of Nigerians expressed their Democratic will in the freest, fairest and most peaceful elections since our Independence. That the outcome of that election was not upheld by the then military Govt does not detract from its democratic credentials,” he said.
The commemoration and investiture, the President added, will take place on Tuesday, June 12, 2018 a date which in future years will replace May 29 as a National Public holiday in the celebration of Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
It will be recalled hat Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, another former military ruler who became the beneficiary of the actualization of June 12 actualisation fight which consumed MKO Abiola and took sacrifices of Nigerians like Chief Fawehinmi, failed repeatedly for eight years to recognise Abiola, despite being his Abeokuta town’s man, and June 12 as democracy day as now done by Buhari.
Many have described the new development by the sitting President as a political masterstroke that will finally silence the plots by Obasanjo and his cohorts who work with him either in the coalition ADC, PDP or National Assembly to destabilize the country’s peace, unity, security, political and economic development to discredit Buhari and frustrate his ability to carry on beyond 2019.
While commending President Buhari for this great decision that he has taken clearly in the interest of the collective good of the Nigerian people, they have also told the President to do just one more thing: pardon General Tajudeen Olanrewaju and others Obasanjo and Jonathan failed to pardon for politicization reason only for Jonathan to pardon Lt. Gen. Oladipo Diya, who was the main coup plotter leaving in the cold Olanrewaju who was not part of it but was only affected by failure to report before he was arrested.
