Foremost human rights lawyer and pro-democracy campaigner, Femi Falana (SAN) has reacted to President Muhammadu Buhari’s recognition of June 12 as the new Democracy Day in the country.
Buhari had made the announcement in a statement he personally signed and released on Wednesday.
READ: Buhari Declares June 12 Democracy Day
In a Wednesday night statement, Falana said that the Buhari administration “made history” with the declaration.
Falana was a leader of the Campaign for Democracy (CD), an umbrella body of democracy activists in Nigeria during the Sani Abacha regime, that also had late Beko Ransoome-Kuti on board.
Falana’s statement read:
The Mohammadu Buhari administration made history today by conferring the posthumous national award of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on Chief M. K. O. Abiola, the acclaimed of the June 12, 1993 presidential election for his huge contribution to the restoration of democratic rule in Nigeria.
By declaring June 12 Democracy Day the Federal Government has officially validated the integrity of the fair and free election that was criminally annulled by the Ibrahim Babangida junta.
By recognizing June 12 as Democracy Day the Federal Government has put an end to the hypocrisy of May 29 which was proclaimed by the Olusegun Obasanjo regime.
By conferring the posthumous award of national award of Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON) on Chief Gani Fawehinmi SAN the Federal Government has officially endorsed his enormous contributions to the titanic battle against military dictatorship and promotion of human rights in Nigeria.
In addition to the historic gesture the Federal Government should proceed to adopt Chief Abiola’s Programme of Welfare to Poverty and respect the human rights of all Nigerians which Chief Gani Fawehinmi SAN championed and defended in his life time.
In particular, the Federal Government should mark the first national democracy day on June 12, 2018 with the release of all citizens who are being detained illegally all over the country and immediate compliance with all valid and subsisting court orders. Furthermore, Mrs Kudirat Abiola who was brutally assassinated while defending the June 12 mandate and others who equally paid the supreme sacrifice in defense of democracy and rule of law deserve to be honoured posthumously.