Abiola's family want him declared president

– Ogun state government organised a walk in honour of late MKO Abiola, but the family wants him to be declared a president of Nigeria

– The family is also calling on the government to hand over to it the school established by the late businessman

– Governor Ibikunle Amosun said the state had organised democracy walks in honour of Abiola adding that it is widely known he won the 1993 presidential election

The only way the family of late Moshood Abiola will forgive Nigeria for the death of the businessman is for him to be declared president and winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 election.

Yetunde Onanuga, deputy governor of Ogun state, led the match to Abiola’s family house in Abeokuta

This demand was made by Muritala Abiola, head of the family, on Sunday as the country marked the 23rd anniversary of the cancelled election.

The event was organised by the Ogun state government, starting with a democracy walk from the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta to the Oke Ido ancestral home of the Abiolas.

Muritala, a younger brother of the late politician, said Moshood Abiola 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 while thanking the state government for keeping the memory of the late Abiola alive.

He further appealed to the state government to return the Salawu Abiola Comprehensive High School, Osiele, established by the late Abiola to the family.

While speaking, Governor Ibikunle Amosun, represented by Yetunde Onanuga, the deputy governor of the state, said it is widely known that MKO Abiola won the election but was denied victory.

“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 said

In Lagos, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said one of the best ways Nigeria can immortalise the late Abiola is to entrench viable democracy.

He also said that such viable democracy can only be achieved through the practice of true federalism which is currently not in place in the country.