Afe Babalola wants presidents, governors inaugurated on June 12

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Afe Babalola, on Tuesday,
called on the Federal Government to work towards making June 12 the
inauguration day of future presidents and state governors.

He said President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent declaration of June
12 as Democracy Day and recognition of the late MKO Abiola were
good steps to the realisation of true democracy in Nigeria.

Babalola made his position known in a statement issued in Ado
Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

“To attain true democracy which is our hope, the government
should now go further and make June 12 the day for the inauguration
of all future presidents and governors.

“Secondly, the government is advised to follow up the
declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day with positive directives to
restructure the country,” he said.

Babalola asked that the 1999 constitution, which he said was
bequeathed to the country by the military, should be replaced with
what he called a true federal constitution similar to the 1960
Independence Constitution and the 1963 Republican Constitution.

He added, “The pronouncement of President Buhari in 2018 (25
years after) declaring Chief MKO Abiola as the winner of the
election, June 12 as Democracy Day and honouring him with GCFR are
no doubt good steps in the right direction.

“But the declaration does not ipso facto amount to return of
true democracy which we need in Nigeria for which M.K.O Abiola and
others made huge sacrifices.

“I see those actions by President Buhari only as important
milestones in our march to attain true democracy.”

Babalola, who said Nigeria lost the rare opportunity of
installing Abiola as the President, said happenings in the nation
at present, were confirmation of his statement during the June 12,
1993 debacle that “we are at the beginning of a journey, the end of
which nobody knows.”

The present happenings, the elder statesman said, included
“insecurity, kidnapping, unemployment, unpaid salaries and
allowances, transactional leadership in the legislative houses,
ineffective local governments and poor infrastructure.

“We lost the rare opportunity of installing Chief Abiola, a
transformational leader as the President. Indeed Chief Abiola
possessed all the qualities best suited to unify Nigeria as a
nation from a country of hundreds of nations.

“Last year, President Buhari revisited the June 12,1993 election
and posthumously declared Chief Abiola as the winner of the
election and went further to honour him with GCFR, also
posthumously. In addition, he declared June 12 as Democracy
Day.

“To achieve his intention of making June 12 truly the Democracy
Day, he announced on May 29, 2019 that he would deliver his
inauguration speech on June 12, 2019. My immediate reaction then
was that the declaration was not only proper and appropriate, but
highly commendable.

“When the Court of Appeal presided over by Justice Abubakar
Bashir Wali of the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division, was to hear
Chief MKO Abiola’s appeal on the legality or otherwise of the
annulment of the presidential election which was won by him, Chief
Philip Umeadi, SAN, on behalf of the Federal Government, tendered a
gazette to back up the annulment.

“The court had no alternative but to rule that on the basis of
the gazette, the June 12, 1993 presidential election had been
annulled.

“In my submission, I made the following statement which in large
measure has become prophetic today. ‘Your Lordships, this is a sad
day for the judiciary in this country. We are at the beginning of a
journey, the end of which nobody knows.’

“Even with the declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day, we are
not at the end of the journey.”

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9th NASS: Sen. Oloriegbe Assures Constituents of Fair,
Quality Representation

Following the official inauguration of ninth National Assembly,
the Senator representing Kwara Central Senatorial District,
Distinguished Senator, Sen. (Dr.) Ibrahim Yahya Oloriegbe has
expressed his heartfelt appreciation to the people of Kwara, most
especially, those of his constituents, for their shows of support
and the trust placed in him as their representative in the National
Assembly.

In his appreciation message duly signed by him, the newly
inaugurated lawmaker expressed his profound gratitude to his people
while reiterating on his promises of fair and quality
representation.

The message, in parts, read thus: “First and foremost, I give
special thanks to Almighty Allah for His continuous guidance and
stamping of His blueprint of success right from the very beginning
of this incredible journey.

“It’s with the most deepest of gratitude, that I give
appreciation to my people for this great honour accorded me as
their representative in our nation’s assembly. This gratitude is
too ponderous to be expressed for the sacred trust and unwavering
confidence reposed in me. It’s an honour which I’m deeply conscious
of, grateful for and which I’m fully prepared to dedicate my life
for, in order to deliver unfailingly.

“I, therefore, pledge and commit myself to deliver on my
promises to the people and to always make their interests take
precedence in all my dealings as an elected representative.

“Mandatory upon me, have I made to apply the standards of
fairness, accountability and quality representation in the
discharge of my representative’s duties and responsibilities to my
people.

“Great are the people’s expectations. Deep are their yearnings
and longings for a better Kwara. Equally, my conscious of these
things and readiness to dutifully commit myself to their
realizations, are of similar if not of greater intensity.

“My people have come a long way. The long walk to freedom has
been tedious. The sacrifices are numerous. Many times, the
intensity of the journey takes it tolls, but the spirit of
togetherness and the oneness of purpose have taken us this far to
put me here. Deeply aware am I of all these which makes me
reiterate again on the assurance that; I, certainly, will not fail
the people. Insha Allah, Kwara will be great than before.”

Signed:
Distinguished Senator,
Dr. Ibrahim Yahya Oloriegbe
Kwara Central Senatorial District