June 12 Heroics: Tinubu Urged to Honour 4 ro-Democracy Activists Behind Landmark Court Ruling
President Bola Tinubu has been urged to honour four pro-democracy activists whose legal intervention enabled Nigerians to vote in the historic June 12, 1993, presidential election.
The activists are Chief (Dr) Adesunbo Onitiri, the late Barrister Babatunde Adejumo, Senator Wahab Dosunmu, and Prince Ademola Adele.
In a press statement issued in Lagos on Thursday, Chief Onitiri said there was a major omission in the list of honourees recognised for their role in Nigeria’s democratic journey.
“There is a big omission in the list of those honoured for the June 12 struggle. The three others and I played very significant roles,” Onitiri said.
He recalled that when Chief Arthur Nzeribe and members of the Association for a Better Nigeria (ABN) secured a controversial court injunction in Abuja to halt the election, he and the late Barrister Adejumo immediately approached a Lagos High Court to secure a counter-judgment that allowed the election to proceed.
“We obtained the historic judgment that enabled Nigerians to vote on June 12. We also secured another ruling that mandated the conclusion and announcement of the election results,” he said.
Onitiri maintained that those legal victories laid the foundation upon which others built the wider pro-democracy movement that ultimately ended military rule in Nigeria.
He further recounted the personal risks taken by him, Senator Wahab Dosunmu, and Prince Ademola Adele in organizing the now-famous Epetedo Declaration—where Chief MKO Abiola proclaimed himself the duly elected President of Nigeria.
Following the declaration, Onitiri said they were forced to go underground to avoid military persecution.
He also identified himself as a strong financial member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), the leading platform that mobilised against military rule.
“With all these contributions—legal, strategic, and financial—I believe my colleagues and I deserve national recognition and should be honoured alongside other heroes of democracy,” Onitiri said.