PDPSMG Calls For Reversal Buhari’s Illegal June 12 ‘Democracy Day’ Declaration

PDPSMG calls for reversal Buhari’s illegal June 12 ‘Democracy Day’ declaration

As mixed reactions continue to trail the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to change the notable Democracy Day from May 29 to June 12, the distinguished Peoples Democratic Party Students Mandate Group (PDPSMG), which is a students support group of the PDP, has joined majority of well-meaning Nigerians to question the motive behind this sudden declaration by President Buhari.

Reacting through her Publicity Secretary, Comr. Uchegbu Uchechi on the recent decision by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, who declared June 12 as a “National Holiday” and “Democracy Day” which Mr President stated is to honour the late Bashorun Moshood Abiola, the ‘presumed winner’ of the June 12, 1993 presidential election whose victory was annulled by the then military head of state, Ibrahim Badamosi Babaginda (rtd), PDPSMG is not impressed by this political hogwash which was neither enacted through constituted legislation nor a popular consent from the good and great citizens of this great nation.

Since the inception of the Buhari/APC-led administration in 2015, the citizens of this country have been perennially misgoverned as the consistent incompetency of the present administration knows no bounds.

PDPSMG implores Nigerians most especially the Yorubas’ whom this very deceitful government is seeking to pacify and buy over with its sentiment of ‘June 12’. The Yorubas should not fall for the pretentious pacification of a government that is insensitive to the plight of the people. As this is a decision to deceive and hoodwink Nigerians into voting him and the APC for a second term.

We ask this salient question, why honour a man who was never sworn in as president in his lifetime with the highest title in the land that is reserved for presidents only, just to pacify the living whom the president and his cronies have severally dishonored with their insincerity, deceit, incompetence and blame game?

Recall that President Buhari, worked assiduously for General Sani Abacha during the persecution and travails of late MKO Abiola under Abacha’s regrettable regime. Buhari never cared about Abiola’s cruel detention.

Though Abacha died before Abiola, Buhari did not visit Abiola’s family or graveside until he ran his election campaign. The president goofed again with this ill thought-out dictatorial decision as his actions and inactions shows clearly that he is not a true believer of democracy neither avowed adherent of democratic tenets and ideals.

The irony of this desperate ruse by Buhari is that June 12, 1993, was an election day not a swearing in day, so it can’t be tagged ‘Democracy Day’s.

June 12 of every year since 1993 is actually a reminder that the mandate of majority of Nigerians was thwarted and the presumed winner of that election, Abiola was imprisoned and subsequently died in detention. The press release by the presidency, read thus “Abiola, the presumed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election”. What a disgraceful statement as it is visible to the blind, deaf, and dumb that the decision to honour MKO ABIOLA with a posthumous award of GCFR is a political scheme and gimmick born out of the grossly incompetent APC’s desperation to hoodwink the Southwest, having realized that their blame games, deceit and lies are fast fading away. They’ve resorted to political gimmicks.

PDPSMG sees this as an insult on the sensibilities and collective psyche of Nigerians and a nation of great intellectuals.

PDPSMG charges Mr President who keeps disregarding rule of law and has plunged Nigeria into economic, social, and religious crisis amongst other negative policies since he took over power to truly extol democracy, which is government of the people, by the people, and for the people and not government of a selected few, by the selected few and for the selected few.

We urge the president to reconstitute his cabinet, including sacking himself as petroleum minister. He should review Nigeria’s security apparatus to show that he truly belongs to nobody and belongs to everybody as no Igbo person is head of any security agency in Nigeria.

The presidency should respect the rule of law and our constitution. Buhari should declare murderous Fulani herdsmen as terrorists since they are ranked the fourth deadliest terrorist group in the world.

Mr President should tackle the alarming unemployment situation under his watch as over 4 million people have lost their jobs according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), and fulfill his numerous campaign promises including reviving the economy which his government plunged into recession. He should reverse this illegal decision of his to award the late Abiola, other political icons and activists who have passed on with GCFR and GCON titles.

Comr. Uchegbu Uchechi
Publicity Secretary
PDP Students Mandate Group (PDPSMG).