Jamiu Abiola, son of late Chief MKO Abiola, the billionaire mogul and acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari’s commendable achievements in boosting democracy and recognizing the contributions and sacrifices his late father made to the growth of Nigerian democracy. He spoke on Sunday in Abuja at an event dubbed “Testimonies of Change”, designed to showcase the achievements of the Buhari administration. The young Abiola also slammed ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo for “benefiting on his father’s blood” without giving anything in return.
MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election that was annulled by the military, in a streak of authoritarian madness, died fighting for his mandate while Obasanjo was elected President in 1999 upon the country’s return to democracy. After riding the tailcoats of his late father’s struggle to restore democracy, that return Nigeria to civilian rule with OBJ as president in 1999, he said, OBJ refused to recognize Chief Abiola’s contribution to Nigeria’ democracy.
Jamiu said Obasanjo benefitted from the democracy struggle by his late father and mother when he was elected President in 1999. He said in spite of coming from the same region and state as his late father and mother, Obasanjo declined to recognize their contribution to the restoration of democracy in Nigeria. He, therefore, commended President Buhari, who after over two decades, recognized his father and declared June 12, National Democracy Day.
Abiola said for over two decades, Nigerians gave mandate to his father which he was “denied and killed”, the family suffered emotional and psychological torture. He said his mother, Kudirat Abiola, who also fought for his father’s mandate, was also killed in the process leaving seven children behind. “What President Buhari has done, despite not being a Yoruba man, has ended the emotional and psychological trauma my family has gone through all these years,” he said.
Jamiu also testified to Buhari’s giant strides in reaching out to the poor and improving on infrastructure like power, roads, and rails. He said June 12 which his parents paid the supreme sacrifice for, was about the poor and the masses and Buhari had become a replica of the mantra. He said Buhari deserved a second term, therefore Nigerians should come out to vote for him in the forthcoming election.
