Senate asks FG to pay Abiola, Kingibe their entitlement as President, VP

dimeji akinloye

June 7, 2018 8:54 PM

The Senate also insisted that May 29 remains the day for the inauguration of a president and newly elected officers while June 12 would be a public holiday.

The Senate has asked the Federal Government to pay all the entitlements due to the late

The Upper Chamber stated this at the plenary in Abuja on Thursday, June 7, following President Muhammadu Buhari's declaration of June 12 as the new Democracy Day.

The President made the change in honour of MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.

Buhari also awarded a posthumous Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) title to the late politician and philanthropist.

Despite the ongoing rancour between the National Assembly and the executive arm of government, the lawmakers commended Buhari for the move but additionally asked that Abiola and Kingigbe, his running mate in the June 12, 1993 election, be fully honoured by being paid their entitlement.

"His (Abiola’s) family is still in existence and every right a president enjoys should be given to his family and the then vice president, Baba Gana Kingibe, should also enjoy all benefits as the vice president," Senator Biodun Olujimi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said.

The Senate President also recalled the sacrifices of Abiola in Nigeria's democracy, saying his (Abiola's) family is yet to be accorded their deserved and overdue recognition.

Saraki said, "I am sure that all of us, in one way or the other, have had the opportunity to interact with the man (Abiola) and we felt that the country has not given him and his family the recognition that they truly deserve.

"Let us leave it that Chief MKO Abiola represented all of us."

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The Senate, however, resolved that May 29 remains the day for the inauguration of a president and newly elected officers while June 12 would be a public holiday.

The Chamber asked the Federal Government to pay Abiola and Kingibe's entitlements.

dimeji akinloye