June 12, 1993 Changed Nigeria’s Destiny – Afuye
June 12, 1993 was the day the destiny of Nigeria changed as a country, being the day we held an election adjudged to be the most free and fair in Nigeria.
The Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Funminiyi Afuye made this assertion in his Democracy Day message to Ekiti people.
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Akogun Tai Oguntayo, he said; “June 12 is a date that can never be forgotten in a hurry.”
Afuye who gave kudos to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhamadu Buhari, noted that “it is on record that since the inception of the 5th republic, it was President Buhari who took the bull by the horn to recognize June 12 as our National Democracy Day.” This according to the Speaker gladdened the hearts of all and sundry.
He therefore urged Nigerians not to let the gains of the June 12 to be in vain. He enjoined them to support the government in bringing dividends of democracy to them.
On this occasion of the second democracy day, Afuye wanted Ekiti people do their best by contributing to the development of the State so that Ekiti would not lag behind in the comity of States.
On June 12 1993, Nigerians went to poll to elect the President of their choices between the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Republican Convention (NRC). The candidate of the SDP, Chief Moshood Abiola reportedly won the election but the military junta did not allow the result of the election announced.
The unannounced winner of the election died in detention and since then Nigerians had been asking that June 12 be declared our democracy day. Successive governments refused to declare it a democracy day until 2018 when President Buhari made the declaration.
