The All Progesssives Congress (APC) stalwart Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has asked for the adoption of late MKO Abiola’s manifesto, “Farewell to poverty” to immortalise the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, which the business mogul won across the nation, despite running a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
The former Lagos State governor spoke Sunday when he received the wives and children of the late Abiola who were on a “thank you visit” to his residence in Lagos.
President Muhammadu Buhari has honoured the late Abiola with the highest national award, the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) and declared June 12, the date of the election, Nigeria’s freest and fairest ever, as Democracy Day as against May 29. The military government of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida annulled the election for no credible reason.
The familes of the late Abiola, and the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, who was given the second highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), will receive the insigna tomorrow(Tuesday) in Abuja.
“We’ve continued to struggle for this day that this injustice must be corrected to become part of our history. And if we truly are democrats, we must take the fulfilment of the date as a dream that must be realised and that has come from a military man, a man of military background, who is now truly committed to democratic principles and values. We must adopt now hope and farewell to poverty as next crusade to continue to immortailse the beliefs and values of MKO Abiola,” Tinubu said.
The late Abiola’s eldest child, Lola Abiola-Edewor, said: “For all of those years we’ve been in great distress because not only did we lose our father, we just began to wonder if it was all worth it.
“And see how many governments we’ve had since 1993 till date and nobody saw it fit to do that which is right. The Lord bless President Buhari for this singular honour that he’s done this family and that’s really why we’ve come to see Asiwaju, to thank him for the role he played in the whole saga, which turned out to be a watershed made right. To thank him for standing in, standing firm and standing strong”
Abiola’s wives Chief Bisi Abiola and Dr, Doyin Abiola were with the children, including Lekan Abiola, Hafsat Abiola-Costello and Jamiu Abiola. There were also Ayobami Abiola, Tundun Abiola, Doyin Tobun, Abdu Abiola and son-in-law Moshood Edewor, among others.
