OrderPaperToday – The Senate has asked that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the results of the June 12 1993 presidential election.
According to them, this would help legitimize Chief Moshood K.O Abiola as the winner of the election which the results were annulled by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida who was military president at the time.
Prior to this resolution, President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, changed the date for the celebration of Democracy from May 29 to June 12 and conferred Chief Abiola with nation’s highest honour, the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR).
Senator Lanre Tejuosho (APC, Ogun) came under a point of order at Thursday’s plenary to appreciate Buhari for the change which he believes serve as an” encouragement to continue this reconciliation” adding that “what he has started took us 25 years to achieve.”
He urged that the move should help reconcile the differences between the executive and the legislature.
In another point of order, Senator Biodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti) stressed that the results should be released because “Abiola and his family went through a fight for this democracy that we enjoy today” and Nigeria should be “confident that this is not a Greek gift.”
She proposed that the running mate of Chief Moshood, Baba Gana kingibe should be recognised as Vice President.
Olujimi also asked that entitlements due to Chief Abiola and Kinigbe be given to their families.
Holding a divergent view however, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu insisted that tenure of the office of the President and Governor must not be extended to June 12.
May 29 is usually set aside for the inauguration of the President into office as contained in Section 135 (2) of the 1999 constitution.
Ekweremadu held that if there should be a change, there ought to be an amendment to the 1999 constitution.
He said: “They are now saying June 12 is now Democracy proposing that in 2019, the President will now be sworn in on the 12th of June. This is illegally impossible. A president shall vacate his office at the expiration of a period of four years he took the oath of office.”
The contributions were adopted by the Senate.
The chamber also endorsed that June 12 should be declared a public holiday.
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