President of Women Arise and Centre for Change, Dr. Joe Okei Odumakin, has expressed gratitude to the Muhammadu Buhari administration for declaringJune 12as Democracy Day but noted that the gesture is belated.

She said in a statement issued in Lagos: “Our attention has been drawn to the declaration by the Federal Government declaringJune 12as democracy day and conferring the highest honour on MKO posthumously.

“June 12remains unforgettable as the day Nigerians freely elected a President in the freest and fairest election, with the winner, Bashorun MKO Abiola, standing firmly on the mandate he was given until he was liquidated.

“We have campaigned around these issues over the years and that is why we accept these honours no matter how belated.

“As we look forward to the official celebration ofJune 12as democracy day which we have observed every year since the annulment, it is our wish that the essential spirit ofJune 12takes firm root in our land with free and fair election as a norm in our land from the Ekiti elections onJuly 14and the general elections in 2019.

“That is the moment the spirits of Abiola and all martyrs ofJune 12will forgive Nigeria.”