Former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Sinatu Ojikutu, has called on President Bola Tinubu to officially recognise the late Moshood Kashimawo Abiola — winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election — as a former President of Nigeria.
Ojikutu’s appeal joins growing nationwide calls for the Federal Government to accord Abiola the title, citing his electoral victory and sacrifice for the country’s democracy.
While former President Muhammadu Buhari posthumously honoured Abiola with the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic title—reserved for presidents—and declared June 12 as Democracy Day, many Nigerians feel this still falls short of the full recognition he deserves.
Notable figures, including former Abia State governor and current senator Orji Uzor Kalu, as well as ex-Lagos lawmaker Jude Idimogu, have also called on Tinubu to place Abiola’s portrait among past leaders at the Presidential Villa.
Ojikutu, who served as deputy to the late Governor Michael Otedola before the 1993 coup, expressed surprise at Tinubu’s failure to act on the matter.
“What is he (Tinubu) doing that he has not recognised Abiola as a former President after all the paparazzi? I thought he said he was one of the strong supporters of Abiola and the June 12 struggle? What is he waiting for?” she asked.
She maintained that Tinubu should have made the formal declaration in his early days in office, given his longstanding ties to the pro-democracy movement.
Ojikutu also faulted Tinubu for not renaming Lagos State University after its founder, the late Alhaji Lateef Jakande, and for missing symbolic opportunities to honour Abiola.
“Even on the day he announced the end of subsidy, he could have added, ‘And now, I declare MKO our former president.’ Those two actions could have softened people’s hearts, especially considering how he emerged as President,” she said.
