The governments of the South-west states have declared June 12 as a
public holiday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the annulled 1993
Presidential election adjudged to have been won by the late M.K.O
Abiola.
The states include Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, and Oyo states.
The federal government on Wednesday announced that June 12 would become a
national holiday for the celebration of democracy day starting from
2019, although the day had always been public holidays in the South
west.
In Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, the governor, said the recent decision
of President Muhammadu Buhari to declare June 12 as the new democracy
day would ensure that Mr Abiola and other martyrs of democracy who laid
down their lives in the struggle to entrench good governance did not do
so in vain.
In Ogun, the state government announced that June 12 would be a
work-free day to enable the residents mark the Democracy Day and
celebrate the recent conferment of a posthumous national honour on Mr
Abiola.
In Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, the governor, said day would be
celebrated with a town hall assembly at the International Culture and
Events Centre (The Dome) in Akure.
In Osun, the government said the public holiday is to mark democracy day
in the state. Obawale Adebisi, the Commissioner for Home Affairs, said
in a statement on Saturday that the public holiday was in line with a
policy of the state to observe June 12 as democracy day every year.
In Ekiti, Ayo Fayose, the governor announced via his official Twitter
handle that the state would continue in its tradition of honouring Mr
Abiola with a public holiday.
In Oyo State, Bolaji Tunji, the media assistant to Abiola Ajimobi, the
state governor, said the state would also declare June 12 a public
holiday.