Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, yesterday described the annulled June 12, 1993 Presidential Election, as the foundation for democratic governance in Nigeria.
In a statement released by his Aketi Media Group (AMG) to mark the 23rd anniversary of the election, he urged President Muhammadu Buhari to take urgent and realistic decisions to honour the presumed winner of the election, the late Moshood Abiola and others, who paid the supreme price in the enthronement of democracy in the country.
According to him, the current democratic experience was that election won by the Abiola, which despite the annulment, remained the indisputable watershed for free and fair elections in the country.
He commended the resilience and sacrifice of Nigerians, which culminated in that exercise.
Akeredolu, who is also a governorship aspirant in Ondo State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), praised Nigerians for consolidating on the enthronement of democracy, by voting progressive governments into power at the national level and in many states of the federation.
He argued that honoring Abiola and others is perfectly in agreement with the national anthem that the labour of our heroes shall not be in vain.
“Such gesture would give birth to a new generation of Nigerians, who would be willing to sacrifice for their fatherland, knowing that such sacrifice would not be in vain,” Akeredolu said.
He also commended the resilience and dedication of the National Leader of APC, Bola Tinubu and other leaders in the struggle, while lauding some states in the southwest for declaring June 12, a public holiday.
“As Nigerians commemorate this great milestone in our country, we must continue to hold our leaders accountable and ensure zero tolerance for impunity and subversion of popular will of the people,” he said.
The former NBA president said, “No society thrives in an atmosphere of arbitrariness,’ adding ‘we must defend the ideals of democracy and put the peoples’ interest far above personal, egocentric and hegemonic desires of a privileged few.”
