As Nigeria commemorated the 32nd anniversary of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, Olalekan Abiola, son of the late Chief MKO Abiola, widely regarded as the rightful winner of that historic poll, spoke to Sunday Vanguard at the family’s Ikeja residence in Lagos. He shared insights into the trauma the family endured, lingering federal debts, and his father’s unparalleled legacy in Nigerian democracy.
“More traumatic losing my mother than my father”
Reflecting on the impact of June 12, Olalekan said,
“Honestly, it’s been 27 years of trauma, especially with my mother’s assassination. One minute my mom was at home, in good health, and the next minute she had been shot. So that was more painful, more traumatic than the fate my father suffered.”
According to him, Chief MKO Abiola, who remained in detention for four years before his death, was at least in communication with the family before his arrest. The sudden loss of Kudirat Abiola, however, left a deeper emotional scar.
“We were expecting her to come and see us in the US when she was killed… it happened that, basically, due to June 12th agitation we lost both parents.”
Life after MKO and Kudirat Abiola
Despite the trauma, Olalekan notes that the Abiola children have managed to stay afloat—thanks to their parents’ emphasis on education.
“Even though my father’s companies have been hijacked by my older brother, Kola, my mother still left quite enough for us to survive. I won’t say I cannot complain, because I know that I’m better off.”
However, he described official promises of support as largely unfulfilled.
“The Federal Government till date promised to pay the debts that they are owing my father to the family. They never did.”
Outstanding Federal Government Debt
Asked how much was owed, Olalekan replied:
“I’m not sure what the figure is… My father had many outstanding debts accruing to him in several ministries—Communications, Education, and Defense.”
While former presidents—including Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, and Muhammadu Buhari—had made verbal commitments to settle the debts, nothing concrete has materialized.
“Now that President Bola Tinubu is there, hopefully he is going to do the audit and pay off the long outstanding debts.”
MKO: Victim of His Own Success
On whether he felt betrayed by MKO’s military-era allies, Olalekan said:
“I think that the main issue with my father is that he was ahead of his time in so many ways… He was the first Yoruba man to win an election and he was liked by everybody. Yoruba only win an election in a free and fair contest in the country. They didn’t believe that. They were shocked. So he broke the jinx.”
Only 54 of 120 Claimed Children Passed DNA Test
Speaking on family affairs, Olalekan made a surprising revelation about MKO Abiola’s many alleged children:
“About 120 children came forward to say they were MKO’s children but only 54 of them passed the DNA test at the end of the day (meaning 66 failed).”
He attributed this to the late philanthropist’s generosity:
“Some of them came with children and said their husbands had abandoned them… They used to come and line up in front of this house every month to collect their allowances.”
A Legacy Rooted in Religion and Generosity
“The most important thing I learnt from him is to hold on to our religion, Islam. All he did was based on Islam, which teaches us as Muslims to be charitable.”
Olalekan recalled MKO’s famous saying:
“I am not carrying this money anywhere. So let me just help people.”
He believes this helped MKO win the 1993 election—“Allah helped him”—and continues to sustain his memory today.
Immortalizing Abiola’s Legacy
While recognizing Democracy Day as a major honor, Olalekan is pushing for further steps:
“I am calling on government to consider giving him the honour of putting his picture in the Presidential Villa among the pictures of past Nigerian presidents…”
He also urged the government to pay all allowances and benefits owed to MKO as Nigeria’s elected president, and to implement his will according to Nigerian law.
Family Divisions and Leadership Void
Olalekan expressed concern over a lack of unity among MKO’s children, placing responsibility on Kola Abiola:
“Brother Kola ordinarily ought to be the leader… But what he is doing right now? He is the leader of his mother’s children… Kola has not shown proper leadership.”
Democracy Since June 12: A Path Forward
Despite the loss, Olalekan sees some progress:
“We have celebrated 26 years of unbroken democratic rule… No tribe is dominating any other tribe.”
Looking ahead, he believes in the South-East’s right to the presidency:
“Next time the presidency comes to the South, it should go to the South-East because they have not gotten it yet.”
