Doyin and MKO Abiola
Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), has revealed that American officials who were present with Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, popularly called MKO Abiola, when he died were initially denied access to him after the incident.
Abdulsalami made the disclosure in his autobiography, which is scheduled for public presentation in Abuja on Saturday.
The book offers fresh insights into the circumstances surrounding the d3ath of Abiola, the presumed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.
According to accounts referenced in the autobiography, Abiola was meeting with a United States delegation in Abuja on July 7, 1998, when he suddenly developed a cough.
His d3ath triggered widespread unrest, particularly in Lagos State, as speculation mounted over the circumstances surrounding the incident.
At the time, rumours circulated that Abiola may have been poisoned after allegedly taking tea offered to him by members of the American delegation to relieve the cough.
The allegations were never conclusively established, but they fuelled public suspicion and heightened tensions across the country.
Abiola’s d3ath occurred barely one month after the sudden d3ath of former military ruler, General Sani Abacha.
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