By Dele Ogbodo
Presidency is yet to fully clear the air of confusion and misrepresentation of Nigeria’s national democracy day.
This came to fore following the recognition and acknowledgement given to Chief MKO Abiola as winner of the June 12 elections which some political observers see as political ‘Maradona’ by President Muhammadu Buhari to win more votes.
Traditionally and since 1999, when former President Olusegun Obasanjo, was voted as Nigeria’s President, May 29 has conspicuously taken root as the country’s national democracy date.
SHARPEDGENews learnt that President Muhammadu Buhari is putting spanners to work to declare June 12 as the official date of his inauguration, as the programme for the inauguration of the government will be rolled out on Monday.
Before the 2019 elections and at the second quarter of last year, the President Buhari, posthumously recognized Chief MKO Abiola, as being the winner of the June 12 election which largely though remained inconclusive because the military who conducted the election aborted it at the final stage when Abiola was coasting home to victory.
With the recognition of Abiola and Ambassado Babaganna Kingibe, the rumour mill churned out insinuations that henceforth, Nigeria’s democracy day or inauguration will now be June 12.
However, the confusion of the exact date of inauguration came into the front burner immediately the 2019 elections were concluded even though a larger number of Nigerians are still contesting the credibility of the elections.
To further compound the date for lack of proper clarification, several newspaper houses, TV and Radio went to town soliciting for advertisement support for May 29 which further fueled the insinuation that May 29 is the set date. The newspapers promised to chronicle the achievements of what Buhari has been doing and thereby setting fresh agenda on what to do till 2020.
This holds water following the acknowledgment of the letters by the President Buhari’s Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina.
Speaking Monday at the Presidential Villa, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who though appears ambivalent on date said that although President Buhari would be inaugurated on May 29, the ceremonies commemorating it would hold on June 12, adding that the ceremonies will not be a flamboyant one.
Mohammed said world leaders would be in Nigeria to felicitate with Nigeria bolster the mistake made regarding the June 12 election annulled at that time by the ruling junta. However, he added that the comprehensive programme for the ceremonies will be made known on Monday.
“President Buhari’s inauguration for a second term on May 29, will be low key as the number of events slated for the inauguration will now be held during the first observance of June 12 as the National Democracy Day.