June 12 inauguration will not confer legitimacy on you, PDP derides Buhari
…Says APC wants to desecrate sanctity of MKO’s legacy
Tunde Opalana, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has derided President Muhamnadu Buhari that moving the planned Presidential inauguration from May 29 to June 12, the Democracy Day, cannot confer any form of legitimacy to the outcome of the rigged 2019 Presidential election.
The party told the Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) that inviting world leaders to the inauguration cannot confer international recognition for a stolen mandate.
The PDP asserted that the Buhari Presidency and the APC, being tormented by the guilt of violating the electoral processes, can no longer boldly approach the oath book on May 29, due to the burden of illegitimacy and now seeks refuge in the sanctity of June 12, the nation’s Democracy Day.
It berated the Buhari administration for attempting to desecrate the sanctity of the legacy left behind by late Chief MKO Abiola’s, winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the Buhari Presidency and the APC from recent history have demonstrated that they totally averse to democracy.
“They should therefore steer clear of our Democracy Day, having violated all our democratic ethos in manipulating the Presidential elections and upturning the mandate of the people; the same injustice which Chief MKO Abiola, the symbol of June 12, fought and died for.
“Chief Abiola stood and died for democracy. Any attempt therefore to schedule any event related to the outcome of the rigged 2019 Presidential election on June 12 would be an open desecration of the sanctity of the Democracy day and a direct assault to the sensibilities of Nigerians”, he said.
The party rejected what it called an absurd desperation by the Buhari Presidency and the APC to overshadow the import of the June 12 Democracy Day and stifle the quest by Nigerians to vent their anger against the democratic violations of the APC administration in the last four years.
He said: “The PDP counsels the Buhari Presidency to note that trying to seize our Democracy Day cannot confer legitimacy to a rigged election, neither can it erase the litany of violations including human rights abuses, assault on democratic institutions,
particularly the Legislature and the Judiciary; clamp down on opposition figures, clipping of the media, extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrests and illegal detention of citizens, and the rigging of the 2019 Presidential election.
“The PDP wants the Buhari Presidency and the APC to understand that what is paramount to majority of Nigerians now is the retrieval of the stolen mandate, which they freely gave to Atiku Abubakar, at the tribunal so that our nation can enjoy the values of freedom, justice, fairness and equity embedded in our constitutional democracy”.
