By Joshua Oladipo
Osogbo. -. The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun has called on Nigerians to celebrate the June 12 Democracy Day with consciousness, saying it was
a strategic battle won.
The party’s Director of Publicity, Mr Kunle Oyatomi, made the call on Wednesday in a statement issued in Osogbo.
Oyatomi said: ” There is good reason to celebrate Democracy Day nationally for the first time ,but there is also strong reason to be alert and conscious of the lesson of perseverance which today’s event teaches.
” We cannot afford to ignore hindsight to recall that the struggle to secure a firm foundation for Democracy in Nigeria has been on for more than a quarter century.
“It is only just today that Nigeria has come to acknowledge the irrecusable relevance of June 12, 1993 to the establishment of democracy in the country.”
He urged Nigerians not to forget the dozens of people, including Chief MKO Abiola, who were killed in the attempt to stifle democracy in Nigeria.
Oyatomi recalled that concerted efforts were made by powerful people to prevent Nigerians from recognizing the June 12 event as a watershed in the struggle for democracy.
“We in Osun are so proud to have been one of those in the forefront of the battle to actualise June 12.
“Part one of our success came in1999. Today we celebrate part two, which has to do with national acknowledgement of that day as a memorable juncture in our quest for democracy in Nigeria,” he said.
