Wife of the late Chief MKO Abiola, Mrs. Tinu Abiola, has urged the National Assembly to pass a law prohibiting military intervention in Nigerian politics.
She made the call while speaking to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, commemorating 25 years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria.
While acknowledging the military’s submission to democratic rule, Mrs. Abiola emphasized the need for a legal framework to prevent future military interventions, according to Daily Trust.
Recall that her late husband, MKO Abiola, was the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, a landmark event in Nigeria’s democratic history.
In 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari moved Democracy Day from May 29 to June 12, posthumously honoring MKO Abiola’s legacy.
Mrs. Abiola’s call for a law to safeguard democracy underscores the importance of consolidating Nigeria’s democratic gains and preventing military incursions into politics.
Abiola’s wife called on Nigerians to support President Bola Tinubu who contributed immensely to the survival of democracy in Nigeria.
“We have to thank God that democracy has come to stay. Without the June 12 event, probably, military rule will still have remained in Nigeria.
“So, one of the major achievements of MKO Abiola, winning that election, even though he was not allowed to rule, was that he opened the door; he opened the eyes of every Nigerian to democratic rule, and democracy has come to stay.
“Now, as we move on, what I will advise Nigerians to do is to please cooperate with the present government of Tinubu, who himself, fought for June 12.
“He was a staunch member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and he did his best for the actualisation of June 12. Unfortunately, all their best was not enough at that time because some things are predestined by God.
“So, my happiness today is to see one of those fighters of that time becoming the president of Nigeria; it is so great.”
She implored Nigerians to be patriotic and imbibe the culture of making Nigeria great.
She said that the National Assembly had a crucial role to play in preserving Nigeria’s democracy.
She advised the Federal Government to take some parts of MKO’s manifesto into its programmes.
