MKO Abiola: Gani Fawehinmi’s party reacts to Buhari’s June 12 declaration

The National Conscience Party (NCP), founded by the late rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, on Thursday, hailed President Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day.

Recall that Buhari, in a statement issued yesterday, replaced May 29 with June 12 as new date for the celebration of Democracy Day.
The Lagos State Chairman of the party, Mr Fatai Ibu-Owo, praised the decision in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Ibu-Owo said that the June 12, 1993 presidential election was adjudged the most peaceful and fairest in Nigeria, adding that the will of the citizens prevailed in that poll.
He said that the presumed winner of the election, the late Chief MKO Abiola, was a symbol of democracy and justice.
The chairman, however, said that NCP had nothing to celebrate in the Federal Government’s decision to give a posthumous award to its late founder, Fawehinmi.

Ibu-Owo said that the late human rights activist would have rejected the award if alive.
He told NAN: “Fawehinmi would have rejected the award in view of the prevailing situation in the country – the killings, issues in the economy and unmet aspirations of the masses, for which cause he fought all his life.
“He would have asked the government to forget the award and fix the problems of the country.
“He once turned down a national award for the same reason.