By Oyeniyi Esan
Nigeria, as threatened with different secessionists, is not the same as at the 1993 presidential election when the whole country voted Chief MKO Abiola in the freest and fairest election the country ever witnessed without question of tribe, class or affliction.
Abimbola Aboderin, an ally of late MKO Abiola and the author of Democracy and Untold Story of June 12, in an interactive session with Chike Ogbogu of 32FM reflects his personal experiences in the making of the 1993 presidential election, the personality of the winner and the need for national unity.
According to him, “MKO Abiola, as a person, was a promising leader whose leadership is widely accepted by the general masses due to factors that have to do with his scope of relationship with people and his commitment for better Nigeria is unparallel to any politician of his time and I see it as a point of duty to tell the world.
“The journey of the June 12 election started long before the people decided the fate of the country in a democratic manner. I remembered vividly that MKO Abiola’s emergence as the presidential candidate became a reality with the support of Northern leaders like Late Shenu Yar’Adua who pleaded with Atiku Abubakar to step down for MKO during the primaries of SDP without grudges.
“The success of June 12 is not solely dependent on MKO Abiola but the general masses who understood his plans and came out to vote for him because of his leadership traits worthy of the massive followership. It is my call to tell the unborn generations the untold story behind the fairest election we ever had as a nation.”
“I intentionally published this book to shed light on the impenetrable darkness about the philosophies of MKO Abiola for current and future leaders to see how things could have turned out if given the chance to lead in the face of insecurity, instability and diversity. I personally see him as a national hero to be emulated by current leaders for the purpose of national unity,” he concluded
