The running mate of late Chief Moshood Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the 1993 presidential election, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, on Monday spoke on the memories annulled victory popularly called June 12.
As the Vice President of the winner of the June 2003 election, what kind of nostalgia does this event today evoke?
Well, it always brings back very vivid memories of the whole process and sadness at the end of the process with the annulment, but I think today as always, I believe in looking forward and the President in his Democracy Day address has set out the markers as to where we are coming from.
And he has set up beacons as to the direction we should take to make our country great, to strengthen democracy and to defend democracy at all times. And I believe that his speech was really inspiring and I think all right thinking men and women of this country should very carefully go through and be inspired by it and be guided by it. It is a great thing.
Do you think the country has done enough to recognize what MkO Abiola truly stands for?
Well, I don’t know when is enough, enough? May his soul rest in peace. The President Abiola is no more. We can’t bring him back. And whatever we do, will never bring him back to life. But we should never forget. We should be inspired by his courage.
We should be inspired by his steadfast commitment, and we should be inspired by his willingness to sacrifice his life, which he has, and for which I think the country will forever be grateful.
