Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, in a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tunji Bello, said the state remained committed to the ideals of the annulled 1993 Presidential election.
Ambode said the holiday was in honour of the ideals which June 12, 1993 Presidential election represented, being a day that the country experienced an election that was adjudged as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history.
The governor urged Nigerians to go beyond the commemoration and strive to entrench a viable democracy.
He said that this was a way to immortalise the late winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, Chief M.K.O Abiola, through the practice of true federalism and conduct of credible and fair elections.
“June 12, 1993 is a day we must not forget in the annals of our democratic history. Our present democratic experience may still be far from the ideal, but we must all make concerted efforts to entrench fiscal federalism which is the only way to achieve true nationhood”.
“On June 12, 1993, majority of Nigerians across all divides demonstrated through the ballot box that irrespective of class or ethnic sympathies, the Nigerian people are united and would always join hands to promote our unifying values.
“Though the peoples’ hope was dashed with the annulment of the elections by the military junta, the lessons of the elections cannot be wished away despite subterranean efforts by many to do”, Ambode said.
He described June 12 as the real Democracy Day in Nigeria.
He also assured that his administration would remain committed to the ideals of June 12 by carrying out people-oriented programmes across the state and making life more comfortable for the people.
He said that state government, through the office of Civic Engagement, had perfected arrangement for the annual public symposium which would hold on Monday to celebrateJune 12.
(NAN)