Breaking News: President Buhari Changes Democracy Day Celebration in Nigeria

The Federal Government has just declared that the Democracy Day be changed from the normal May 29th to June 12th.

This was made known to press men in the letter released from the Presidency this night.

The letter reads thus:

The Presidency;

PRESS STATEMENT

For the past 18years, Nigerians has been celebrating May 29th as Democratic Day. That was the date when for the second time in our history, an elected civilian administration took over from a military government. The first time this happened was in October 21st, 1979.

But in the view of Nigerians as shared by the administration, June 12th, 1993 was far more symbolic of democracy in the Nigerian context than May 29th or even the October 1st.

June 12th, 1993 was the day when Nigerians expressed their democratic will in what was undisputedly the freest, fairest and the most peaceful elections since our independent. The fact that the outcome of that election was not upheld by the then military government does not distract from the democratic credentials of that process.

Accordingly, after the consultations, the federal government has decided that henceforth, June 12th will be celebrated as Democracy Day.

The commemoration & investiture will make place on June 12th 2018, a date which in future will replace May 29th as the "National Public Holidays" in celebration of Nigerian Democracy Day. Therefore the Federal Government has decided to award posthumously the highest honour of the land, GCFR, to Chief M.K.O Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12th cancelled elections.
His running mate as Vice President, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, is also to be invested with a GCON.

Furthermore the tireless fighter of human rights and the actualization of the June 12th elections and indeed for democracy in general, the Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi SAN is to be awarded posthumously a GCON.

Signed:
President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR)
Nigerian President

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