The Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, says declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day has vindicated age-long agitations by some Nigerians for same.
Obasa made the assertion in Lagos in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Musbau Rasak, on Thursday.
He praised President Muhammadu Buhari for the declaration on Wednesday.
He said: “This is because it was the day that Nigeria had the freest, fairest and most peaceful election.
“It was June 12, 1993, that gave birth to what we are enjoying today as democracy.
“I want to congratulate the president, his vice, the APC and Nigerians in general for this honour on the martyr of Nigerian democracy, Chief MKO Abiola.”
Obasa also hailed Chief Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of APC and a former Governor of Lagos State, whose administration declared June 12 a public holiday in Lagos State.
According to him, Tinubu believes in the sanctity of the June 12 mandate.
Obasa also commended Tinubu for naming the former Marwa Gardens in the state after the late Abiola to immortalise him.
He said: “It was also Asiwaju (Tinubu) who named the Press Centre at the Alausa Secretariat after the late Bagauda Kaltho, the News Magazine correspondent killed by the Abacha junta during the struggle for democracy.
“Therefore, our national leader also deserves special commendation for his pioneering efforts at getting official recognition for June 12, Chief MKO Abiola and other icons of democratic struggle in the country.”
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Buhari announced that June 12 would replace May 29 as the Democracy Day.
The president also gave posthumous award of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic to Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential Election, who died on July 7, 1998.
Buhari also decided to confer posthumous GCFR to the late social critic and rights campaigner, Chief Gani Fawehinmi.
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