PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche SecondusThe Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari not to use the honour he conferred on the acclaimed winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election, late Chief MKO Abiola to show himself off as democrat.
In a statement today, Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP rejected the inclination by President Buhari to use the award to posture as a democrat and desperately seeking to garner votes ahead of 2019 presidential election.
The party insisted that bestowing a posthumous national award on Abiola did not make Buhari a democrat.
“Chief Abiola, in his life time, stood for personal liberty of citizens, particularly the right to aspire for any position, respect for constitutional order and principle of separation of powers.
“He also stood for national cohesion as well as a free press, all of which were upheld by the PDP.”
The party said that it is a fact that the freedoms are being trampled and strangulated.
“While the PDP congratulates the family of late Chief Abiola and other martyrs of democracy, we also remember the roles of late Sen. Abraham Adesanya, Bagauda Khalto, Dan Suleiman, Raph Obiorah, Alex Ibru and others.
“We remember the Management and Staff of the Concord, Guardian, Vanguard, Punch and other media houses, who suffered undue hardships for our nation to attain this democracy.”
It called on the Presidency to save the nation international opprobrium of attempting to use the event for “political capital’’ and to posture Buhari as a democrat.
