June 12: Buhari honouring Abiola is to your shame — Fayose slams Obasanjo
The immmediate past governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fasoye, has again criticised former President Olusegun Obasanjo for failing to honour Moshood Abiola throughout his eight years in power.
Mr Fayose made the rebuke in a tweet on Thursday. He said the honour done to Mr Abiola by President Muhammadu Buhari is a shame on Mr Obasanjo, as a fellow Yoruba as Mr Abiola.
Mr Abiola won the June 12, 1993, presidential election, but the election was annulled by the military government of Ibrahim Babangida.
Mr Abiola later died in detention five years later, having been arrested by the military junta of Sani Abacha for declaring himself president.
Mr Buhari in 2018 recognised Mr Abiola’s mandate by conferring on him Nigeria’s highest national honour of the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, reserved only for presidents.
He also declared June 12, the day the election was held, as Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
Nigeria had celebrated Democracy Day on May 29 since 1999. This year marked as the first time the celebration happened on June 12.
On Wednesday, Mr Buhari also renamed the Abuja National Stadium after the late Mr Abiola.
Reacting on Thursday, Mr Fayose said: “Honouring MKO Abiola by @MBuhari is to Obasanjo’s shame.
“It remains a sore-point of his political history that because of ego, Obasanjo, who’s the greatest beneficiary of the June 12, 1993 struggle, failed to honour his kinsman, MKO Abiola. So, I commend President Buhari”, he wrote on Twitter.
