Fayose Hails Buhari, Lampoons Obasanjo On June 12

The immediate past governor of Ekiti, Ayodele Fayose State has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for etching Chief Moshood Abiola in the indelible wall of fame.

Fayose who took to his official Twitter account (Gov@Ayo Fayose) on Thursday berated the former president Olusegun Obasanjo for missing the opportunity to honour his kinsman when he was president between 1999 and 2007.

The ex-governor said instead of Obasanjo to honour Abiola for his impeccable impacts in the struggle for democracy, he was busy nurturing elephant size ego.

President Buhari had last year conferred a posthumous award of Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on Abiola who was widely regarded as Nigeria’s hero of democracy.

He assented to a public holiday bill amendment which nullified May 29 previously set aside as a public holiday and accommodates June 12 instead in commemoration of the 1993 general election won by Chief Moshood Abiola.

Also, The president at this year maiden celebration of Democracy Day announced that the Abuja National Stadium will now be known as Moshood Abiola National Stadium.

Abiola was the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election which was annulled by then-military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida.

After he refused to give up his mandate, he was imprisoned in 1994 and died in custody under suspicious circumstances on July 7, 1998.

Nigeria returned to democratic system of government in 1999, with Olusegun Obasanjo elected as president.

Many believed his choice as president was to appease the south-west region for Abiola’s stolen mandate, but Obasanjo never officially recognised the significance of June 12 and Abiola’s sacrifice.

The former governor praised President Buhari for his legendary gesture in recognising the incurable spirit of Abiola in the struggle to enthrone democratic rule.

“Honouring MKO Abiola by Buhari is to Obasanjo shame. It remains a sore point of his political history that because of ego, Obasanjo who’s the greatest beneficiary of the june 12, 1993 struggle failed to honour his kinsman, MKO Abiola. So, I commend President Buhari”, he said.

Source: The Nation