The Senate has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to announce the result of June 12, 1993, presidential election for Nigerians to know the actual result of the polls.
The lawmakers also asked President Muhammadu Buhari to pay all entitlements to the Late Moshood Abiola, as a former President and Commander-in-Chief of Nigerian Armed Forces.
The resolution followed a point of order by Biodun Olujimi, a senator representing Ekiti South, upon which she argued that following the recognition of Abiola and the honour accorded him on Wednesday, June 6, 2018, by President Buhari, as the actual winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, his full entitlements as the then nation’s President should be paid to his family members.
The Senate also urged that the then Abiola’s running mate, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, should be recognised as a former Vice President and that all his entitlements should be calculated and paid to him also.
The lawmakers further insisted that May 29 remains the Inauguration Day for President and governors while urging Buhari to present a bill to the National Assembly, to amend the constitution, to recognise June 12 as the country’s Democracy Day as declared by the President.
Declare December 31 ‘Democracy Destruction Day’ to mark your 1983 coup, Senator tells Buhari
Enyinnaya Abaribe, a Senator representing Abia-South Senatorial District of Abia State, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to declare December 31 as Democracy Destruction Day to mark the coup he led to end Nigeria’s Second Republic in 1983.
Mr. Abaribe made this contribution to the dissent of All Progressives Congress senators on Thursday.
Then a Major-General, Mr. Buhari on December 31, 1983, led by a group of senior army officers to overthrow the democratically elected government of President Shehu Shagari. He was appointed Head of State by the conspirators.
Now a democratically elected president, Mr. Buhari on June 6, 2018, directed that effective 2019, Nigeria’s Democracy Day, marked every May 29 for the past 18 years, be shifted to June 12, 2018, to honour Moshood Abiola, the winner of the 1993 presidential election. Mr. Abiola was never sworn in as president. He was instead detained by the military and died in prison five years later.
Abaribe said December 31, 1983, is significant enough to mark the day democracy was destroyed in Nigeria. He urged the president to declare the date just as he did June 12.
First, he joined his colleagues in commending Mr. Buhari on the move.
“I support what Senator Olujimi and also what the Deputy Senate President had said, insisting that there may have to be an amendment of the constitution.
“I also want to add that it would also be necessary for the Executive to quickly bring to the National Assembly, an amendment to the Honours Act which states that there cannot be posthumous award.
Now that they have jumped the gun to do posthumous award, it would be necessary for us to quickly amend that act.
“Finally, I want to also propose another day since we are now moving in the right direction, saying that democracy is needed, I want to propose that we also designate December 31st as Democracy Destruction Day because that was the day that this same president did a coup.”
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