- Nigerians Celebrate a New Democracy Day
For the past 19 years, Nigerians celebrate May 29th as the democracy day, a day the nation moved from military rule to civilian rule when former President Olusegun Obasanjo was sworn-in in 1999.
President Muhammadu Buhari, however, passed a Bill to amend the Public Holidays Act and declare June 12 as a Democracy Day. The Bill was signed on the 6th of June 2018.
A year after the bill was passed, Nigerian marked the beginning of a new democracy day on the 12th of June 2019. The new date was picked to commensurate the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola in view of the election held on the 12th of June 1993 which was pronounced the fairest and most credible election in Nigeria’s history.
Henceforth, May 29th shall be the Inaugural/handing over day of political office, this will be observed every 4 years.
In the recognition of June 12 as democracy day and the political effect of MKO Abiola life in Nigeria, Federal Government on Wednesday renamed the Abuja National stadium to MKO Abiola Stadium.
According to the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, he said, “On June 12, we commemorate the country’s emergent democracy in a way that is certainly more spiritually fulfilling and psychologically satisfying than has ever been the case since 1999”.
At the inaugural held on 29th of May 2019, President Muhammed Buhari said: “As we all know, correcting injustice is a pre-requisite for peace and unity. As part of the process of healing and reconciliation, I approved the recognition of June 12 as Democracy Day and invested the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola and Babagana Kingibe with National Honours, as I did with the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi. The purpose was to partially atone for the previous damage done in annulling the Presidential elections of that year”.
