Congratulations Nigerians On June 12 As Democracy Day

By June 12 Coalition of Democratic Formations (J12CODEF)

The June 12 Coalition of Democratic Formations is delighted and commends wholeheartedly the declaration of June 12 as Nigeria's Democracy Day by President Muhammadu Buhari in response to the yearnings and aspirations of the Nigerian people over the years.

This declaration by President Muhammadu Buhari is highly commendable, patriotic, democratic and in sync with the agitations of the mass of Nigerian people since 1993.

For the records, on June 12, 1993, Nigerians in their millions across the country went to the polls in what has been acclaimed till date as the freeest and fairest election in Nigeria's political history and jettisoning ethnic and religious divide, elected as President of Nigeria, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, a Muslim and his running mate also a Muslim, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe both of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) over Alhaji Bashir Tofa a Muslim and his running mate Dr. Sylvester Ugoh, a Christian of the National Republican Convention (NRC).

Unfortunately, the free, fair and credible June 12, 1993 Presidential election was treasonably annulled by the Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida military junta and then began agitations, protests and other civilized means of engagement by Nigerians for the reversal of this crime against the democratic rights of the Nigerian people exercised peacefully and orderly at the polls.

The annulment and the consequent struggle to reclaim the people's mandate resulted in the death in detention of the winner, late Chief MKO Abiola, assassination of his wife Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, disappearances, incarceration and death of so many Nigerians too numerous to mention like Chief Alfred Rewane, Balgauda Katho, etc, limbs maimed and deformed, families and businesses worth billions of naira destroyed, careers terminated and all kinds of calamities visited on the Nigerian people because of their principled stand on reclaiming the mandate against the onslaught of the despotic regimes of Ibrahim Babangida and late Sani Abacha and Abdulsalami Abubakar.

Since the annulment of June 12, 1993 Presidential election, Nigerians have been tenacious and resolute in insisting on the restoration of the spirit of that mandate even after the death in detention of the acclaimed winner Bashorun MKO Abiola for refusing to surrender the peoples mandate despite his solitary confinement, torture and traumatization.

June 12 Coalition of Democratic Formations as the arrow head of the struggle for the actualization of the June 12, 1993 Presidential mandate among several other groups and organizations since 1994, has remained faithful, consistent and resolute on the actualization of the mandate and what it represents in the life of the Nigerian people by regularly holding seminars, workshops, rallies, road walks, symposium and other engagements including media talk shows to keep the fire burning in the public consciousness and this we have done religiously for the past 24 years.

We sincerely commend President Muhammdu Buhari for the conferment post humously of the highest national honour in the land on late Chief MKO Abiola which puts him at par with heads of state and Presidents of Nigeria both living and late and also for the honour done to the late legal icon and senior advocate of the masses (SAM) late Chief Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi with the conferment post humously of the National honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).

This declaration of June 12 as democracy day is symbolic because it signpost the triumph of the peoples will over despotism as the will which was exercised 25 years and despite all the shenanigans of anti democratic elements and agents of darkness to suppress and kill it, the people's will has eventually triumphed to the glory of God and benefit of humanity.

June 12 as democracy day is a victory for the Nigerian people who have kept faith with the mandate despite the satanic and anti peoples plot by successive administrations until now, to ethnicize and trivialize it. This victory is dedicated to the memory of the matrys of the mandate led by late Chief MKO Abiola, who was the custodian of the peoples mandate.

We hereby call on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately send a bill to the National Assembly empowering INEC to complete the process of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election by announcing the winner and post humously recognizing Bashorun MKO Abiola as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

We equally call for machinery to be put in place for the restructuring of Nigeria along the lines of true federalism which June 12 represents.

Once again, June 12 Coalition of Democratic Formations on behalf of several other pro democratic groups that were in the trenches for the actualization of the June 12, 1993 Presidential mandate of the Nigerian commends and congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari for writing his name in Gold by appropriately declaring June 12 as Nigeria's democracy day, history has documented this gloriously for democracy.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Nelson Ekujumi, (General Secretary. )