The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has berated the Presidency for
politicizing the posthumous national award on the acclaimed winner of
the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola.
The party also accused President Muhammadu Buhari of midwifing the
circumstances that led to Chief Abiola’s travails.
The PDP alleged that President Buhari overtly betrayed his political
inclination in the article published by the Presidency, which relegated
the virtues of Chief Abiola and dwelt on praise-singing of the
President.
The party noted that the Presidency, in the article, relied on false
performance indices and insinuations, ostensibly aimed to set up
perceived political opponents of the current administration as Chief
Abiola’s traducers.
This publication also confirmed fears that President Buhari desperately
seeks to use Chief Abiola’s revered name and person to draw political
capital ahead of 2019 general election.
The Presidency in its desperation went ahead to demean the exalted
office of the President, as well as the import of the posthumous award,
by sponsoring tweets to divert public attention from Chief Abiola and
his virtues, to procured praises of President Buhari.
If there is any person to blame for Chief Abiola’s travails, should it
not be President Buhari who, on December 31, 1983, staged a military
coup that destroyed democratic governance, locked up politicians without
trial and set the stage for the deferment of democratic governance,
which Chief Abiola paid the supreme sacrifice to restore?
Also, the Presidency, by asserting that “detention without trial, even
under the military was wrong” has directly indicted President Buhari,
who, in 1984 clamped politicians into detention without trial; an
injustice he recently boasted about.
The re-branded and repositioned PDP stands with the memories of Chief
Abiola and all the democratic ideals he represents.
The party therefore urges all Nigerians not to allow the political
posturing of the Buhari Presidency to distract them from focusing on the
person and sacrifice of Chief Abiola and other martyrs of democracy by
remaining united in resisting all undemocratic tendencies of the
Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.