A
pro-democracy group, Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and
Constitution, CDNDC, on Wednesday described the certificate bearing the GCFR
honour conferred on Late M.K.O Abiola as “deceptive,” and an improper way of
honouring the dead.
The group, in
a statement sent to a Media outlet by its convener, Ariyo-Dare Atoye, said it
is “disingenuous and shocking that the same leaders from the Southwest who had
dissuaded the Abiola family from accepting a more befitting naming of
University of Lagos after him, could return to persuade them to accept an
honour on paper.”
While
insisting that the certificate of GCFR awarded to Abiola is totally deceptive,
the group argued that it is improper to confer such a noble honour on the dead
without the document bearing the right inscription as a posthumous declaration.
“It is
equally, unthinkable, disingenuous, shocking and retrogressive, that some
leaders from the Southwest who had previously dissuaded the Abiola family from
accepting a more befitting naming of University of Lagos after M.K.O, could
return to persuade them to accept an honour with a controversial certificate
that will only be confined indoor.
“It is
unfortunate that some proponents of June 12 decided to allow such an enviable
struggle to be mired in the controversy of a purported political masterstroke
to revive a dying aspiration of man who never identified with or believed in
June 12.”
CDNDC
maintained that irrespective of the apologies tendered by Buhari to the Abiola
family over June 12, restructuring of the country remains the only way that the
President can earn the support of the South-West and other geopolitical zones
who subscribe to the idea.
The group
said, “First, we want to make it clear that there is no alternative to
restructuring, because the proper struggle for the actualisation of the real
June 12 had successfully gave rise to this noble idea, which is now the only
way out of the false system that we operate.
“We want to
state categorically that the politically sophisticated people of Southwest and
other zones who have conceded to restructuring will not tradeoff the only
option left for Nigeria with Buhari’s version of June 12.
“There is no political masterstroke that can
emplace restructuring; the proper celebration of June 12 should be the official
announcement of Abiola as the winner of the election by the federal government,
the naming of a befitting edifice after him and the introduction of an
executive bill in the parliament to alter democracy day celebration from May 29
to June 12.”
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