Late Chief MKO Abiola
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Nigeria’s foremost political leaders, pro-democracy activists, civil society stakeholders, labour leaders, and election reform advocates are set to gather in Lagos on Friday for a major national commemoration of the June 12 Democracy Day Anniversary, with a renewed push for credible elections ahead of the 2027 general polls.
The event, being jointly organized by the Movement for Credible Elections (MCE) and the June 12 Pro-Democracy Movement of Nigeria, is expected to serve as a platform for national reflection on Nigeria’s democratic journey as well as the formal launch of a nationwide campaign for electoral integrity and democratic reforms.
According to a statement issued by the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Anthony Kila, the commemoration will feature a high-powered assembly of statesmen, political leaders, labour representatives, and democracy advocates from across the country.
Former Commonwealth Secretary-General and Chairman of the Eminent Patriots, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, GCON, is expected to chair the event, while Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, alongside Chief (Mrs.) Bisi Abiola and members of the family of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, will attend as Special Guests of Honour.
The first phase of the programme will commence with a National Breakfast Tribute Session dedicated to the heroes and heroines of Nigeria’s democratic struggle. The ceremony is scheduled to hold at the MKO Abiola Democracy Centre in Ikeja, Lagos, where participants are expected to pay tribute to individuals who played pivotal roles in the struggle for democratic governance.
Among prominent Nigerians expected to deliver tributes are constitutional lawyer and former Nigerian Bar Association President, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN; former Minister of State, Dr. Usman Bugaje; former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili; legal luminary Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN; human rights advocate Femi Falana, SAN; political economist Prof. Pat Utomi; former Senator Shehu Sani; SDP presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Prince Adewole Adebayo; publisher and activist Omoyele Sowore; businessman and politician Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim; President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Alhaji Shettima Yerima; Nigeria Labour Congress President Joe Ajaero; Trade Union Congress President Festus Osifo; civil society leader Ene Obi; and veteran democracy campaigner Olawale Okunniyi, among others.
Following the tribute session, participants are expected to embark on a symbolic Democracy Procession to the Lagos Airport Hotel, where the annual National Democracy Discourse will take place under the theme, “Reenacting the Credibility of the June 12 Elections in Nigeria in 2027.”
The discourse is expected to attract leading political figures from across the country, including former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi; former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi; former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi; former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal; former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed; former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke; media entrepreneur Dele Momodu; political analyst Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed; former diplomat Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo; former Minister Bilikisu Magoro; Inter-Party Advisory Council National Chairman Yusuf Dantalle; former National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Arc. Peter Agada; Dr. Abduljalil Tafawa Balewa; and former Minister of Youth and Sports Development Solomon Dalung.
Organisers said the 2026 Democracy Day anniversary would focus on key national issues surrounding electoral reforms, democratic governance, insecurity, and poverty, with deliberations expected to centre on the Electoral Act 2026, the role of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the integrity of the 2027 elections.
The event will also witness the launch of a nationwide mobilization campaign aimed at strengthening public participation in electoral reforms and safeguarding the credibility of future elections.
Stakeholders are expected to examine what organisers described as critical challenges confronting Nigeria’s democratic process, including concerns over the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, judicial interventions in electoral matters, the influence of money politics, the rising financial barriers to political participation, alleged interference in the internal affairs of political parties, and worsening insecurity across several parts of the country.
Organisers said the discussions and resolutions from the anniversary gathering would form the basis of a sustained national advocacy campaign designed to promote electoral transparency, accountability, and democratic consolidation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Political observers say the gathering could emerge as one of the most significant democracy-focused assemblies in recent years, bringing together influential voices from across Nigeria’s political and civic landscape to deliberate on the future of the country’s electoral system.
The June 12 anniversary remains one of Nigeria’s most symbolic democratic observances, commemorating the annulled 1993 presidential election widely regarded as the freest and fairest in the nation’s history and won by the late Chief MKO Abiola.
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