A top member of the National Association of Political Correspondents (NAPOC) in the 90s, Dr Tayo Popoola, has criticised the list of eminent Nigerians recently honoured by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the heroic roles they played in the June 12 struggle.

He, however, expressed dismay that the list excluded the name of Senator Anthony Adefuye, who was the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola’s campaign agent at the Jos 1992 convention of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Popoola, who was one of the 18 journalists who covered Abiola’s presidential electioneering campaign, described Adefuye as an unrepentant June 12 activist to date.

He said that for history and record purposes, the names of all eminent Nigerians who fought for the revalidation of the June 12, 1993, presidential election should be listed in the Hall of Fame.

The university don, who is the author of Adefuye’s biography, titled “The Man, Senator Tony Adefuye,” chronicled the activities of the former senator representing Lagos East Senatorial District during that turbulent period in Nigeria’s political history in chapter six of the book.

According to Popoola, Adefuye was at the forefront of agitation for the revalidation of the results of the June 12 elections, adding that he remained a close associate of Abiola throughout his ordeal, including during his political imprisonment.

Popoola, who revealed that Adefuye was one of the 50 eminent persons with whom Abiola corresponded through personal notes before his death, acknowledged the roles the 66 individuals honoured by President Tinubu played in the June 12 struggle as well as successive struggles for broader democratic freedoms.

He, however, joined other Nigerians in calling for the addition of more iconic Nigerians, such as Adefuye, who also played vital roles in the fight for the June 12 revalidation, a pivotal period in the rebirth of Nigeria’s nascent democracy.