Why June 12 Should Be Democracy Day – Aregbesola

Osun State Governor Rauf
Aregbesola has said that Democracy
Day in Nigeria should be celebrated
on June 12 and not May 29.
The Governor stated this in his
address marking the 23rd
anniversary of the annulled June
12, 1993 election, which was
believed to have been won by the
late Chief MKO Abiola.
Aregbesola said that June 12, 1993,
was the day Nigerians put aside
their ethnic and religious
differences and united to vote MKO
as their leader, which
unequivocally affirmed the unity of
the country.
He said May 29 only symbolises the
day the military handed over the
affairs of the country to a
democratically elected government,
noting that Nigerians and lovers of
democracy would remain
committed to June 12 as a political
watershed in the annals of the
nation.
The Governor however said that
since MKO’s election was annulled
23 years ago, it took Nigerians
another 16 years to choose a leader
that would take them to the
Promised Land in person of
President Muhammadu Buhari.
Aregbesola said: “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
local.
“It was a pattern that made
mockery of the fabled fault-lines
and fissiparous tendencies of the
Nigerian federation and projected a
nation united behind a popular
leader.
“May 29, in 1999, was the date the
military handed over power to
civilian administration and will
remain symbolic for the transition
to civil rule and the opportunity it
presents for realising a truly
democratic government that
approximates the yearnings and
aspirations of the people for a
leader that will lead them to the
Promised Land of security and life
more abundant.
“We waited for 16 years for that
leadership to emerge and we thank
God for the election and coming to
power of President Muhammadu
Buhari.
“A government with a human face
is here at last. He represents the
aspirations and symbolism of June
12 in that he also got a pan-
Nigerian mandate that once again
defied the divisions in our country.
“He represents hope for change
and national rebirth. He is on that
path. God willing, he will lead us to
the Promised Land”.