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The recent declaration by President Muhammadu Buhari that June 12 would henceforth replace May 29 as Democracy Day in honour of Chief MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the annulled June 12 presidential election, has been described as a fraud and a ploy to deceive Nigerians again and obtain their votes.
According to the lawmaker representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency of Rivers State in the National Assembly, Hon. Kingsley Chindah, if Buhari did not truncate democracy by overthrowing the then democratically elected president, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, in December 1983, there would not have been any June 12 brouhaha.
Chindah told journalists at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa recently that he was surprised that the same Buhari who overthrew a democratic government is now turning around to say he wanted to recognize June 12 as Democracy Day, and queried the rationale behind the declaration, a few days after he had already celebrated Democracy Day on May 29.
“The whole thing is deceitful. Was the president not aware that he would want to recognize Abiola before he celebrated Democracy Day on May 29? As leaders people hold us in trust, we should be sincere to the people we govern. We are not above mistakes, if you make mistakes, you own up but do not intentionally deceive the people you govern,” he said.
He added that he did not believe in the award even though he believes deeply in democracy, as well as in June 12, stressing that “our president does not believe in democracy, he has been given opportunity as a democrat but he is not showing us that he is a repentant democrat which he claims to be”
Commenting on Governor Nyesom Wike’s 3rd anniversary in office, the lawmaker said the governor deserves commendation given the numerous projects he executed in the state, and prayed God to continually strengthen him to do more.
He frowned at those criticizing the governor for completing projects initiated by previous administrations, pointing out that if most Nigerian leaders understand that government is a continuum and follow Wike’s footsteps, there would be less abandoned projects and less waste of public resources.
“It the highest level of ignorance for somebody to criticize any leader at any level that he completed projects started by previous administrations, are these projects personal projects, it’s the state projects and state resources. So whether you are completing old projects or doing new ones, the most important thing is that you’re working and people are seeing it” he said.
