Fresh calls have emerged for the recognition of late Senator Adebayo Sikiru Osinowo for his contributions to the June 12 pro-democracy struggle, following his omission from the list of honourees during the 2026 Democracy Day celebrations.

President Bola Tinubu had conferred national honours on about 50 individuals in recognition of their roles in the fight to actualise the mandate believed to have been won by the late MKO Abiola in the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

However, supporters and associates of Osinowo say his contributions to the struggle have largely remained undocumented despite the risks he took during the military era.

One of such associates, former Chairman of Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area, Comrade Ayodele Adewale, said Osinowo played a critical role in protecting members of the Abiola family at the height of the crackdown by the military government of late General Sani Abacha.

According to Adewale, Osinowo, popularly known as “Pepper”, helped evacuate some of Abiola’s children from Lagos after threats to their lives intensified. He said the former lawmaker disguised himself as a taxi driver and transported the children through the night to safety, enabling them to leave Nigeria through neighbouring Ghana before eventually relocating to Europe.

Adewale maintained that Osinowo’s intervention was instrumental in ensuring the survival of the children during one of the most turbulent periods in Nigeria’s democratic history.

Born on November 28, 1955, Osinowo was a grassroots politician from Kosofe in Lagos State. He became actively involved in the pro-democracy movement following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election by the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida.

As the political crisis deepened under Abacha’s regime, many democracy activists either went underground, fled the country or were detained. Associates say Osinowo remained active within local networks that supported pro-democracy figures and their families.

He was later arrested by security operatives and detained under the military government. Reports from associates indicate that he remained in custody until after Abacha’s death in 1998 and was among the last June 12 activists to regain freedom during the transition to civilian rule.

Following Nigeria’s return to democracy, Osinowo served in the Lagos State House of Assembly from 2003 to 2019, representing Kosofe Constituency II. In 2019, he was elected Senator representing Lagos East Senatorial District.

He died on June 15, 2020, at the age of 64 while serving in the Senate.

Supporters argue that his contributions to the June 12 struggle, particularly his efforts to protect members of the Abiola family and his detention during the military era, merit formal national recognition alongside other pro-democracy activists honoured by the Federal Government.

They contend that while many prominent figures of the June 12 movement have received public acknowledgement, the sacrifices of lesser-known operatives who worked behind the scenes remain largely absent from the country’s official historical record.