Says May 29 is an off-shoot of June 12

By Gbenga Olarinoye

Osogbo—Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has described June 12, 1993 as the most suitable and proper day to mark democracy day in Nigeria.

Aregbesola, in his address marking the 23rd anniversary of June 12, said it was the date Nigerians freely expressed their choice on whom to be their leader and a day of unequivocal affirmation of the unity of the country by Nigerians across all divides.

He said Nigerians and lovers of democracy will remain committed to June 12 as a political watershed in the annals of the nation, saying May 29 only symbolises the day the military handed over the affairs of the country to a democratically-elected government.

He said June 12, in 1993 was a day Nigerians united to vote the acclaimed winner of the presidential election, late MKO Abiola without recourse to religion, ethnicity or ideology.

He stated that the unity with which the multi-ethnic groups spoke and acted was what is being celebrated till today.

He however noted that since the annulment of that election 23 years ago, Nigerians waited another 16 years for a leader that would take them to the Promised Land until the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

“We will never drop our commitment to June 12. Nigerians, in their heterogeneity, on June 12, 1993, voted for Chief Abiola in a pattern that defied ethnicity, religion, ideology and locality,’’ he said.

Oyo declares public holiday

Meantime, the Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, has declared today June 13, as public holiday in commemoration of the annulment of the June 12, 1993, Presidential Election.

A statement by the Special Adviser, Communication and Strategy to the Governor, Mr. Yomi Layinka, conveyed the governor’s decision, yesterday.

According to him; ‘’June 12 remains a watershed in the history of the country, because of the significance of the day in the nation’s democratic journey, having broken all ethnic and religious barriers.

‘’The annulled election is yet to be matched in terms of freeness, fairness, transparency, openness and widespread acceptability.

‘’Much as the electoral umpire that midwifed subsequent elections had tried, the annulled election remains the best in terms of organization and no system adopted for the conduct of subsequent elections is yet to match Option A4 used to conduct the June 12 election.’’