The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southwest has hailed the Federal Government for naming the University of Lagos (UNILAG) after the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola.While calling on government to initiate all statutory legal steps to perfect the change,the party appealed to students and other stakeholders not to be used to tarnish the memory of MKO Abiola and the cherished reputation of the erstwhile University of Lagos.
The PDP, which accused the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) of hypocrisy and underhand support for the protest on the rename of UNILAG, said; “It is very sad to note that these same people, who dined and wined with late MKO Abiola and had used his name for political gains have suddenly become anonymous and cannot show appreciation to the Federal Government for immortalising him.”Instead, they have suddenly lost their voice in their usual hypocrisy and have also gone to the extent of fueling protests in Lagos”
PDP Zonal Publicity Secretary, Hon. Kayode Babade said in a statement issued today that all lovers of democracy, especially those who benefited from MKO Abiola’s matyrdom should be supportive of whatever honour done him by Nigeria government
“The PDP led federal government has done well by honouring MKO Abiola, but inheritors of MKO’s political largesse feeding fat on Lagos have in a shameless display of their hypocrisy kept quite, and it is not difficult to see the hand of Esau in the voice of Jacob in the uproar over the change of name”.
“We also note the voice of their godfather, Prof Wole Soyinka, who in his usual sophistry has tried to denigrate the honour of MKO and defecate on his grave.
“We recall that Prof Soyinka, had in the time past clamoured for the immortalisation of MKO and blamed the PDP for not according him the deserved honour. We therefore need to ask, what is now the issue?having now recognized the renowned defender of the masses?
“We are however not surprised that the ACN people are denigrating the memory of MKO, because the same party that used the name of Abiola to canvass for votes denied one of his sons the party’s House of Representative ticket in Ogun State”
“Obviously, the same thing the ACN people are doing to MKO, they are doing to Chief Obafemi Awolowo by using his name to canvass for votes while they go about disrespecting his family, including the woman Awolowo called his jewel of inestimable value.”