A renowned human rights activist and Executive Chairman, Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, has described the winner of the fairest and freest June 12,1993 Presidential election, late Bashorun MKO Abiola as a beacon of the current democratic experiment in the country.
He stressed that the likes of Abiola’s late wife, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Dr Beko Ransome- Kuti, Fela Anikulapo, Alao Aka- Bashorun, Abraham Adesanya,.Bola Ige, Alfred Rewane, Adekunle Ajasin, Anthony Enahoro,Ola Oni, among others,were part of those who have transited to great beyond, having fought relentlessly for the restoration of the annulled June 12 election and the current democractic experiment in Nigeria.
Comrade Sulaiman, who also stated that the living legends of the struggle for restoration of democracy back to the country were; Ayo Adebanjo,Wole Soyinka, Femi Falana, Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, Omoyele Sowore, Shehu Sani, Osagie Obayuwana,Femi Aborisade, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Adeola Soetan, Segun Sango, Lanre Suraj, Dipo Fashina,.Amitolu Shittu,Niyi Owolade,Shina Odugbemi, and host of others at the national level of the struggle against military regime over the annulment of the June 12 presidential election.
The rights activist disclosed that in his home State of Osun, adding that a few elements were coordinated by Comrade Amitolu Shittu to ensure democracy returned to the country vis a vis Osun State. He listed them as Waheed Lawal, Sefiu Ayanbimpe,Tunji Akande, Goke Butika, Kayode Adebisi, Ademola Bankole, Najeem Olawuwo, Prince K,Rufus Oyatoro, among others, adding that the journalists in the country also played an important role in the fight against the annulment of the June 12 presidential election.
Sulaiman, who doubles as Convener, Save Lagos Group (SLG), maintained that Chief Abiola and others paid the supreme sacrifice by laying down their precious lives for democracy to come back to the country, which some certain elements had bastardized, urging President Bola Tinubu to brace for the governing of the country aright because people were feeling the pains and pangs of his administration’s policies, insisting that Nigerian masses could not continue to bear the current untold hardship in the land.
This was contained in a signed statement by himself to commemorate this year’s June 12 celebration, copies of which were made available to newsmen on Wednesday.
He declared that the current democractic experiment had yet to throw up the good democratic leaders across the tiers of government in the last twenty-five (25) years of the current fourth republic, stating that the leadership training process of the nation has been the bane of development.
He therefore,regretted the military incursion into the governance of the country for so many years, noting that the military interregnum in our democratic life had retarded the country in all spheres of human endavours by also causing great setback in all our national life.
