The President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has described the late MKO Abiola as the symbol of the democracy we enjoy today.
Tinubu stated this during his 15-minute broadcast to the nation on Monday, June 12, 2023.
According to him, the democracy Chief Abiola died for is the one that recognises the welfare of the masses and the one that gives power to the governed, to hold those who hold positions of authority accountable for their actions, while they govern.
He stated that Abiola died for the benefit of the masses, to have the full benefits of democracy.
He also stated that even at the point of death, when he was asked to forgo his mandate, Abiola chose to sacrifice his life for the revival of the masses.
However, he stated that his “Renewed Hope,” is to rekindle the hope of the masses, as it was invented by the late Chief MKO Abiola, in the June 12, 1993 election, which he won.
Tinubu was inaugurated as the 16th elected president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the 29th of May, 2023, and Monday’s broadcast was the first national broadcast he would be having since his inception to the office.
June 12 was set aside as democracy day in Nigeria, to give honour to the late Chief Abiola, for his sacrifice for the return of the country to civil rule.
