The President, Nigerian University lecturers in the Diaspora, based in the United Kingdom, Abdullahi Akeem-Ahmad, has called on President Bola Tinubu to name the Aso Rock President Villa after the acclaimed winner of June 12 Presidential Election, Chief Mashood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola.
Arewa PUNCH reports that the organisation, which comprises Nigerian lecturers in European countries, noted that naming the National Stadium after the MKO Abiola was not enough to immortalise him.
Akeem-Ahmad, who was also a former Vice President (North) of a pro-democracy group, Campaign for Democracy in an exclusive interview with Arewa PUNCH, explained that โMKO Abiola, who remains the symbol of the June 12 struggle deserves to be posthumously named after the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.โ
According to him, โLike Senator Shehu Sani said, we have known you (President Bola Tinubu) to be part and parcel of the struggle for democracy, especially, the June 12 struggle which MKO Abiola and others paid the supreme price. Therefore, honouring Abiola by renaming Aso Rock Presidential Villa after him will not be too much,โ he said.
He also called on Tinubu to declare MKO Abiola as the winner of the June 12 presidential election and accord him his due recognition posthumously.
He said, โEvery year, on June 12, Nigerians all around the globe celebrate democracy. We should all remember that this tree of democracy which is now deep rooted with luscious green leaves providing shades and canopy for all to prosper was planted and nurtured with the blood of the likes of late Chief MKO Abiola, Senior YarโAdua, Pa Rewane, Kudirat Abiola, Bagauda Kalto and several others who paid the supreme price, coupled with those who languished in prisons and police cells in and out of Nigeria for agitating for the enthronement of democracy in Nigeria.
โMay their labour not be in vain. What we can do to honour these democratic icons is to name monuments after them and name ASO Rock Villa after Chief MKO Abiola, declare him the winner of June 12 1993 presidential election, uphold the principles and ideology aspired for and represent, eradicate poverty, provide free and quality education at all strata, a unique national values that we can be proud and crave for be developed and make life more meaningful for all Nigerians irrespective of their creed or tribal affinity.
โPresident Bola Ahmed Tinubu should remember that power was not served to him on a plate of aโla carte but was grabbed snatched and ran away with it under the prerogative of his contribution to the realisation of the June 12 struggle, therefore, his mandate is to serve Nigerians to the best of his ability, pooling all his experiences together to further unite the country and genuinely manage our diversity and democratically harness our resources for the betterment of every Nigerian.
โI remain your humble and restless Nigerian citizen in diaspora researching for a better Nigeria.โ
The former CD boss further warned the Nigerian Armed Forcesย against any thought of a โmilitary takeover.โ
He stressed, โWe that fought for democracy in Nigeria are actively guarding things as they unfold. We wonโt mind going back to the trenches if the need arises.
โI seize this opportunity to thank the military for not interfering in the nationโs body politics since 1999. They must not nurture any ambition of military takeover,โ he added.
Meanwhile, a pro-democracy group in the north, Arewa Defence League, kicked against the call to name the Aso Rock Presidential Villa after Chief MKO Abiola.
President of Arewa Defense League, Murtala Abubakar, told Arewa PUNCH in an exclusive chat that โas it were already, the change in the Democracy Day from May 29 to June 12 was a complete fraud on its own, adding that there was nothing to warrant such decision.โ
According to the pro-democracy activist, former President Muhammadu Buhari took the decision to change the Democracy Day from May 29 to June 12 to hit at some of his adversaries to prove that he is not an anti-democrat.
Abubakar said, โIn fact, the whole call for the change of the Democracy Day from May 29, to June 12 is a complete fraud. In the first place, thereโs nothing to even warrant such decision and I think even President Muhammadu Buhari who took those decisions did it because he wants to paint some of his adversaries like Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and the rest of them black, to justify that IBB is anti-democrat and a frustrated leader who dies not support free, fair and credible elections; whereas, this is not so.
โAnybody who followed what happened during that election knew that even before the 1993 presidential election was conducted, there was a court order by the Association of Better Nigeria, instituted by Arthur Nzeribe. So, you cannot build legality upon illegality. So, the political class then, there was no unity and consensus among them. So, the entire process was characterised by all manner of fraud.
โIf you are going to look at what happened during the June 12, then recall that a similar thing happened with the banning of the old politicians which brought about the new breed politicians because IBB keep dribbling everybody.
โSo, if you are going to name MKO Abiola as a hero of democracy, you can as well name people like late Adamu Ciroma who were victims of the same military draconian rigmarole. You can as well name Gen. Shehu Musa Yarโ Adua and several others were banned just like MKO Abiola. The 1993 presidential election was inconclusive.
โTherefore, there is no reason for anybody to be declared a winner. What Abiola attempted doing was treason. So, anybody calling for changing or naming Aso Rock Presidential Villa after MKO Abiola, I think itโs a joke taken too far. I donโtย know why some people are taking this country for a ride,โ Abubakar concluded.(Punch)
