Saturday, July 18, 2026

Buhari courageous; corrected IBB, Abacha’s June 12 injustice against MKO Abiola, says Tinubu

Mr Abiola was adjudged winner of the 1993 presidential election, annulled by former military president, Ibrahim Babangida.

• May 25, 2023
President Bola Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu

President-elect, Bola Tinubu, says President Muhammadu Buhari has shown courage by declaring June 12 Nigeria’s Democracy Day in honour of late Moshood Abiola.

“President Buhari, you have shown courage in taking tough decisions others avoided.

“One such decision was to recognise the injustice of the annulment of the 1993 election, to designate June 12 as Democracy Day, and to bestow the nation’s highest honor on the late MKO Abiola,” Mr Tinubu said.

The president-elect made this statement on Thursday in his acceptance speech when he was conferred with the honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR) ahead of his May 29 inauguration ceremony.


Mr Abiola was adjudged winner of the 1993 presidential election, annulled by former military president, Ibrahim Babangida.


In 2021, Mr Babangida insisted that he did the right thing by annulling the 1993 presidential election.

Nigeria’s Democracy Day used to be May 29, until 2018 when Mr Buhari moved the day to June 12 to honour Mr Abiola.

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