Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola: The Man Who Orchestrated His Own Death -By Fakinlede Pelumi

Today is June 12 and everyone will remember the ordeal of June 12, 1993 how MKO was denied his rightful mandate as the duly elected president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida the first and only Military President of Nigeria but against general opinion, I see Abiola the architect of his own calamity and death

Firstly, Chief Abiola was an Aareonakankafo, the generalissimo of the entire Yoruba land. Abiola should have read into history of whatever happens when an Aareonakankafo goes to war and is defeated. Abiola led the entire Yoruba land to a political war in the 1993 election against the Hausa Fulani nation, even though he had won but he was not declared the winner so like every other Aareonakankafo who lost out in a battle, Abiola was supposed to commit suicide to end the shame but whether he killed himself or not, it was clear that death killed him five years after.

MKay as he was fondly called built his own fall by going the way of Afonja, a one time generalissimo of Yoruba land who lost out in a battle and instead of doing the needful by killing himself, he went to the Fulani nation to get fighters against the Alaafin of Oyo. Abiola was always friends with the Hausa-Fulani group, rumour has it that there was no coup in Nigeria that Abiola never financially sponsored and that led to his downfall.

Against political statement that General Sani Abacha was left in office to sap power from Ernest Shonekan by General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) even though it is clear that IBB was a close friend to MKO yet it was Chief Abiola that suggested that Abacha should hijack power from Ernest Shonekan thinking Abacha will return power to him(Abiola) you can see this claim in ‘My Life And Nigerian Politics’ Chief Anthony Anenih , Mindex Publishing Co.Ltd, 2016; pp.108-118. Then it is clear that Mkay actually caused what had happened to him.

It was Abiola’s desperation for power that actually led to his ordeals. His political involvement and doing from his entry into politics and even though Sani Abacha refused to relinquish power to him, Abiola declared himself the Commander in Chief of Army Forces of Nigeria which is an attack on the person of Sani Abacha who was the sitting Head of State and Government and that made his arrest eminent.

If Abiola was still alive in 1999, he would have constituted disturbance to electoral procession in 1999 that brought Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. I repeat that MKay won’t have allowed due process. One should ask why didn’t General Abdulsalami Abubakar didn’t release Abiola till his death in July 1998 whereas Sani Abacha who detained him died in June 1998 if not that Abiola had sealed his fate with his actions in 1993 to be a face of political disturbance till his mandate restored.

I am not against him but I want everyone to have another knowledge that Moshood Kasimawo Olawale Abiola didn’t died a political prisoner alone but died as a result of his numerous named and unnamed actions in Nigeria.

jimisaanu@gmail.com