Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State emphasized that conducting free and fair elections is the best way to honor the memory of the late Chief MKO Abiola and other democracy heroes.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Mr. Olawale Rasheed, to commemorate Democracy Day in Osogbo on Wednesday, Adeleke highlighted Abiola’s legacy.
Abiola, the presumed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 Presidential election, was arrested for insisting on his victory and died in custody in 1998.
Despite being annulled by the military government, the 1993 election is widely regarded as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history.
This led to the change of Democracy Day from May 29 to June 12, enacted by the former President Muhammadu Buhari administration in 2018.
Adeleke reiterated that free and fair elections are crucial for a strong democracy and acknowledged the sacrifices made for the return to civil rule in 1999.
He urged politicians to respect the will of the people and commit to strengthening the electoral system to ensure credible elections.
“Our best homage to our democratic heroes is our continued upholding of the basic tenets of democracy,” Adeleke stated, stressing the importance of free and fair elections and adherence to the rule of law.
He called on leaders to genuinely commit to democratic ideals and accept the people’s will as expressed through elections.
Adeleke reflected on his own experience in 2018, when he was denied victory, emphasizing that democracy thrives when candidates respect the electoral verdicts.
“We must stop being autocratic in democratic garb,” he concluded, urging politicians to recognize that power ultimately flows from the people and that rigging elections undermines democracy.
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