Democracy Day: ‘MKO should be listed among past presidents’

Mr Abdullahi Yelwa, a lecturer in the Department of Crime Management and Control (CMC), Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Bauchi State, has advocated that the late Chief MKO Abiola, be listed among the past presidents of Nigeria.

Yelwa stated this on Monday in Bauchi in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the occasion of the June 12 celebration.

According to him, the fact that Nigeria recognised and celebrated June 12 was a way of accepting that the annulment of the 1993 presidential election was wrong and hence the late Abiola should be posthumously declared as one of the past presidents of the country.

“It’s good that we recognise and eulogise this day because it’s a way of saying that yes we accept what we did was wrong and we are making amends.

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“Accepting that what was done in 1993 by annulling the election was wrong by the government is what led to accepting to celebrate June 12 as Democracy Day.

“What we should do is to consider MKO Abiola posthumously as one of the presidents of Nigeria not just to celebrate the day as Democracy Day.

“Even after his death, we can declare him as among the past presidents, at least a president that was not sworn in and this is part of correcting history and accepting the error,” he said.

Yelwa also said that the fact that there had not been military intervention since 1999 was worth celebrating, saying the country has held elections and the peaceful handing over of the rein of government from one administration to another. (NAN)