Tinubu Honours Kudirat Abiola, Nwosu, Yar’Adua as June 12 Icons
As part of his Democracy Day address to the National Assembly, President Bola Tinubu posthumously honoured several key figures in Nigeria’s democratic history, including Kudirat Abiola, wife of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola—the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
Others recognised were Professor Humphrey Nwosu, the former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC), who oversaw the 1993 polls, and the late former Vice President Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, a stalwart in Nigeria’s pro-democracy movement.
The national honours were conferred in recognition of their enduring contributions and sacrifices in the fight for democratic governance.
June 12 is now commemorated as Democracy Day in Nigeria, marking the date of what is widely regarded as the country’s freest and fairest election.
The 1993 election, won by MKO Abiola, was annulled by the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, triggering nationwide protests and a prolonged struggle for the return to civilian rule. Kudirat Abiola became a leading voice in that fight until her assassination in 1996. Read More
