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 DAILY POST 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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