Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), has revealed that his administration did not plan to immediately swear in Chief MKO Abiola as president after General Sani Abacha’s death in 1998, despite calls for the recognition of Abiola’s June 12, 1993 election victory. He said the government instead consulted widely on options to resolve Nigeria’s political crisis.
In excerpts from his autobiography, Call of Duty, Abdulsalami stated that several alternatives were being considered, including forming a Government of National Unity, launching a fresh transition programme, or assigning Abiola a prominent role in the emerging Fourth Republic. While some stakeholders demanded Abiola’s immediate inauguration, the military government preferred broader consultations before making any decision.
The former military ruler also recounted the events leading to Abiola’s death on July 7, 1998, during a meeting with a visiting United States delegation led by former US Ambassador Tom Pickering and Susan Rice. Abdulsalami said he approved the meeting after learning the delegation had initially been denied access to Abiola.
According to him, Abiola became restless, started coughing and sweating during the meeting, and later died at the State House Clinic. Abdulsalami described the news as devastating, saying it threatened efforts to peacefully resolve the country’s political crisis and left the government scrambling to manage the fallout.
He dismissed long-standing claims that Abiola was poisoned, arguing that the presence of the American delegation during the meeting should have dispelled such suspicions. Abiola, widely regarded as the winner of Nigeria’s annulled June 12 election, died in government custody a month after Abacha’s death, sparking protests and enduring controversy over the circumstances surrounding his death.