Family of the late presume winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief M.K.O Abiola, has called on the Federal Government to declare him the winner and pay presidential entitlements to his family.
Alhaji Muritala Abiola, who is the head of the family, made the call on Sunday, during the 23rd anniversary of the June 12, 1993 election.
The event, which was sponsored by the Ogun State government, kicked off with a Democracy Walk from the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta to the Oke Ido ancestral home of the Abiolas.
Muritala, who is the younger brother of the late business mogul, said M.K.O deserved the entitlement for dying for the enthronement of democracy in the country.
“First, we want the Federal Government to declare June 12 as Democracy Day. It should do even more than that.
“Ken Saro-Wiwa died fighting over Ogoni oil spillage, the Federal Government is doing the cleaning up of the oil spillage in Ogoni land.
“MKO was killed because of an election he won maybe it is you journalists or the Nigerian government calling him acclaimed winner.
“He is not acclaimed winner, they should confirm him as slain president of Nigeria.
“MKO should be declared president. Although slain, all the entitlements belong to the family”, he said.
Muritala, however, expressed the family’s appreciation to the Ogun State Government for keeping the memory of the late Abiola alive by staging a Democracy Walk in the last five years.
He also used the occasion to appeal to the state government to return the Salawu Abiola Comprehensive High School, Osiele, Abeokuta, founded by MKO Abiola, to the family to administer.
In his remarks, the State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, said that everyone knew that late MKO Abiola was the adjudged winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Amosun, who was represented by his deputy, Mrs Yetunde Onanuga, described the late M.K.O as the hero of the nation’s current democracy.
“We have been organising the Democracy Walk and identifying with the Abiola family for the past five years that this administration has been in government.
“He was a philanthropist and the hero of our current democracy”, he added.
