The banquet hall of the Presidential Villa is presently agog as Nigerians from all walks of life gathered to honour Moshood Abiola and major actors of the annulled June 12, 1993 Presidential election.
Any moment from now, President Muhammadu Buhari, is expected to confer Post-Humous national honours on M.K.O. Abiola as Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR), Gani Fawehinmi as the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).
He will also decorate Babagana Kingibe with the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), at the investiture ceremony
The event is being witnessed by Members of the National Executive Committee of the Social Democratic Party, (SDP ) the platform under which Abiola won the election, including States Chairmen and Secretaries at the time of June 12, 1993
Other notable figures who have arrived already, include some Governors elected under SDP platform, former Senate Presidents, Iyorchia Ayu and Ameh Ebute and Speaker Agunwa Anekwe along with Principal Officers of the National Assembly elected under SDP platform
Speakers of the States Houses of Assembly elected under SDP platform, Chairmen of the States Traditional Councils from the six South-Western States are also expected to witness the event
Amongst those already present include Frank Kokori, who said he expected President Buhari as least person to honour Abiola, adding that “was a confirmation that Buhari has a great soul.”
According to him, “If this is coming 25 years later, it means one day your your country will remember you because some of us felt when we came out of Abacha’s gulag and we were not recognized, I just felt what sort of country is this. Like my personal experience as one of the most famous prisoner of conscience in the world, I saw that my country did not even appreciate the four years I spent in one of the worst cells in the world. And we did all these for our country and the country did not recognize us.
“So, now we are happy and we are very grateful to our President, the least president we expected who should have done this, Muhammadu Buhari. We thought people like Obasanjo should have done that for us long time ago. There was so much pressure not Muhammadu Buhari, we least expected it, so in doing it for us, he has a great soul and we appreciate it.”
Mohammed Fawehinmi, dispel rumour that his father Gani would have rejected the award, saying “ My father would have accepted it”
Fawehinmi’s eldest son, Mohammed said, his late father would have accepted the award because June 12 was actualise and MKO recognized as President-elect.
“I feel very elated, I feel very proud, my family feels very honored that all the suffering was not in vain and that the Nigerian people have a chance of better governance in future.”
“I know he would have taken it, I know my father more than anybody. There are two reasons why he would taken it, one, because June 12 was actualized, two, because MKO Abiola was recognized as President elect.
“ As you can see from the suggestion at the Senate that they are going to eventually declare the election result and he is going to be given all his benefits after 25 years which he has lost. So, for that reason that is victory for him because he went through hell and high waters to make sure that June 12 was actualized.”
Fawehinmi’s family is being fully represented here as his wife Ganiyat, speaking about her reaction to the announcement of the award said , “I was a bit disturbed”
“Every time the security will come, turn our house upside down, even his office was broken into, they took away many files during IBB regime and they were not returned till date. So I just thanked God that I am alive to witness today and I know that my husband will turn in the grave for this June 12 that is being actualised because he really fought and died for it”
“ l believe God has a purpose for it, I believe that is how God wants it because you can’t run a race ahead of God. So, God has a purpose of actualising it today which is exactly 25 years after Hole ‘93 when Abiola wanted to be the President.”
Olusegun Osoba who was Ogun state Governor at the time described President Buhari as “ Simply courageous”
According to him” was just telling Chief Kokori that the fact that the two of us our alive to witness the event of today is a thing of joy. Because, Kokori became the last man standing when everybody was taken And I was wrongly accused which is not true. So I am happy that we are all alive today. The significance of what we are doing today is that the President has the courage to do what others failed to do. Secondly, he has shown tremendous courage in recognizing Abiola as late President of this country because I hate the language the presumed winner of the annulled June 12 election, with this declaration of honour of GCFR, which is reserved for President and GCON for Vice President and other eminent Nigerians, shows that the President has answered our appeals over the years and I thank God I am still alive.
Details later…
