June 12: Tinubu Applauds Buhari for Honouring Abiola, Kingibe’ as Elected President,Vice President
By Yadnom Awu/ Asaba
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu today publicly appreciated his predecessor in office, Muhammadu Buhari, for acknowledging the victory of the late tycoon, Moshood Abiola, in the historic June 12,1993 presidential poll.
Addressing Nigerians through a joint session of the National Assembly( NASS) today, Tinubu also reserved part of his public appreciation of Buhari for his role in declaring June 12 as Nigeria ‘s Democracy Day.
Buhari had, in 2018, declared June 12 as Nigeria ‘s Democracy Day in place of May 29 that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had declared, and also publicly acknowledged that Abiola, who died in controversial circumstances in state custody, was the winner of the presidential election of 1993.
The action drew a diverse public opinion, with many holding it as political, since both Buhari and Obasanjo belong to different political parties.
But speaking today in Abuja, President Tinubu weighed in on the issue, saying that singular selfless action of Buhari helped correct a past wrong.
Describing the initial declaration of May 29 as Democracy Day, Tinubu said it was a misdeed of the past which should never have been.
According to him, Buhari, by declaring Abiola and Babagana Kingibe as elected President and vice president on the strength of the Jund 12 election which they won, had corrected a past wrong.
He paid tributes to Abiola and his martyred wife whom he described as a heroine of democracy.
He later conferred the national award of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) for her role in advancing Nigeria ‘ s democracy.
