Senate Okays June 12 As Democracy Day

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BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – Obviously moving at greater speed to make up for lost time in their legislative duties, the Nigerian Senate has unanimously endorsed June 12 to replace May 29 as the country’s Democracy Day.
The Red Chamber’s position concurs with the Public Holiday Act (Amendment) Bill recently passed by the House of Representatives. Edward Pwajok (Plateau APC) and Kayode Oladele (Ogun APC) sponsored the bill in the House in 2018.
The bill, which scaled through third reading in the House in March this year, was passed same month. It sought for an Act to amend the Public Holidays Act to declare June 12 as Democracy Day in Nigeria in view of current realities and exigencies of the modern time.
Coming less than three weeks to the 8th National Assembly’s terminal exit, Thursday’s concurrence by the upper legislative chamber followed the presentation of a conference report by Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan at plenary.

Thereafter, the conference report wa to a voice vote by the Senate President Bukola Saraki and it was adopted by the Senators.

In the bill, passed by the House of Representatives on November 26, 2018, the current Democracy Day, May 29, was deleted and replaced with June 12.

Ahead of President Buhari’s assent to the bill, the Federal Government had on Monday explained that the May 29, 2019 inauguration of the new administration would be low-key, adding that most  other activities have been shifted to June 12.

Since year 2000, May 29 has been observed as Democracy Day and with the National Assembly passed of the Bill now awaiting the Presidential assent, that date will thereafter ceased to be so-addressed

Adjudged to be the freest and fairest polls ever conducted in Nigeria, the presidential election held on June 12, 1993, was annulled by the then Military President and Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida.

The acclaimed winner of that election, Chief MKO Abiola, in the struggle to validate the annulled results, was arrested and incarcerated by the military junta of the late General Sani Abacha.

Abiola won the election on the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) by defeating his National Republican Convention (NRC) opponent, Alhaji Bashir Tofa.

However, the business mogul, widely acknowledged as the ‘Pillar of Sports in Africa”, died in controversial circumstances on July 8, 1998 while in detention during the administration of former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar.

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