BY Dyepkazah Shibayan
Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says his campaign will be “in the spirit of June 12”.
June 12 is used to commemorate the annulment of the election that has been described as the freest and fairest in the country’s history.
Moshood Abiola, Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate in 1993, is presumed the winner of the election.
The election was annulled by Ibrahim Babangida, a former head of state. But in 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari declared June 12 as Democracy Day.
In a statement on Saturday, the former governor of Lagos said Abiola’s “victory” in the annulled election showed that Nigeria’s unity “is not an impractical dream”.
“That election, though almost thirty years ago, provides vital and reassuring lessons to Nigeria today. First, it shows that we are capable of democratic excellence and conducting elections as good as anywhere else on earth. Second, Chief MKO Abiola won a truly national mandate,” the statement reads.
“His victory and mandate, though unfairly and unlawfully stolen, shows Nigeria’s unity is not an impractical dream.
“Although we are diverse in terms of ethnicity and religion, we all seek good governance, a better life and the positive things that result from sustained good governance.
“For me personally, Democracy Day holds a special meaning. I was a close supporter of MKO Abiola and had entered politics believing that we could change the face of this nation for permanent good. When the military dictatorship tried to bury that dream, I was there at the birth of the NADECO movement.
“The democratic lessons I learned then have guided the path of public service which I have tried to follow since those days. On this Democracy Day, I dedicate myself and my upcoming campaign to the spirit of June 12 and what it best symbolises for today’s Nigeria.
“Just like democracy finally won against dictatorship, I know that prosperity shall overcome poverty, peace shall outlast violence, compassion will conquer hatred and good will defeat evil. Justice, security, and economic development will visit and reside in every hamlet, household, village, and city in our nation.
“The spirit of June 12 shall expand to become the spirit of Nigeria and our national greatness and destiny.”
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