Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos, his predecessor in office, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, The Director of Pan-African University, Professor Pat Utomi, and other prominent citizens have urged progressives in the country to rise up and use every tools available to fight and defeat every anti-democratic force that would negate the nation’s democracy.
Delivering his opening remark at the presentation of the book entitled: ‘Discourse, Politics and the 1993 Presidential Election campaigns in Nigeria’ yesterday at Airport Hotel Ikeja, the chairman of the occasion Senator Tinubu, said the book clearly demonstrated that June 12 would continue to resonate for many years and decades to come.
Senator Tinubu who was represented at the event by the Chairman of Ejigbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan, explained that the power of June 12 phenomenon lies in the ability of man to shape history and to transcend the hurdles of parochial obsession by enacting the progressive leap which would determine and define the politics of the fourth republic.
According to him, “June 12 demonstrated beyond all doubts, that ethnicity, religion, class could no longer be used to divide and conquer the Nigerians masses”.
He noted that one of the many lessons from the 1993 election lied in the fact that life is a struggle and that political power could only benefit our suffering and poor masses if the progressives are ready to contest for power in the most adverse conditions.
He said, “reactionaries will do everything possible to hold on to ill-gotten power because it is the passport to their ill-gotten wealth, our historic task is to use all legal and legitimate institutions, values and processes to engage them and dislodge them from power because they lack the vision and mission to transform this country to the benefit of the people.
Describing the book as a befitting contribution to the struggle the chairman said, “By reviewing an event of great historic value in the struggle of the progressive to win power and ensure that the poor masses bid farewell to poverty, it galvanizes us to action and sensitizes us to the burden of development that we progressive always carry”
Also, governor Fashola who was represented by the State Commissioner for information emphasized the need for the people to hold the system accountable for that mandate.
“We can not ignore it as a nation even in posthumously. the position of Lagos is very clear that Abiola be declared the winner of June 12 1993 election and all the benefits accrue to him.” he said.
The Guest speaker of the Occasion Professor Pat Utomi, said there is a slow growth in Nigeria in spite of the enormous human and other factors endowment because there is a major disconnect between the people and those in governance.
He added that rather than showing commitment to the plight of the poor masses, people in power are more committed to delivery the goods and loyalty to their enthroned godfathers.
He added that what the nation required is a citizen legislature made up of professionals who would take a live of absence from time to legislate on issues that would promote national growth and development.
He said “democracy is not the problem, but how we choose to structure it and the commitment of those entrusted with governance.”
He said June 12 provided the necessary opportunity to enshrine permanently the meaning of democracy and value of good election which was unfortunately denied by a few cabal.

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