For the very first time in history, eminent Nigerian and elder statesman, High Chief Abiola Ogundokun (Obanla of Iwo Land) has reacted to insinuations in high and low quarters that he was in the know as to how his former close friend, Basorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola (MKO Abiola) was arrested and locked up by the General Sani Abacha’s Military Junta in 1994.
MKO Abiola (late) was asking and fighting for his presidential mandate after winning the 1993 JUNE 12 Presidential election which was annulled by ex-military ruler, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) before an Interim National Government by Ernest Shonekan was instituted and later sacked by Sani Abacha’s coup.
The ogundokun’s role in Abiola’s incarceration under Abacha, was fueled by flimsy allegations by the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi (Telu 1) who started a war of words with Ogundokun since 2017 and equally de-robbed him of some of his traditional and Islamic titles in Iwo land, Osun State (South West Nigeria).
Ogundokun however went to court and re-claimed his Islamic title of ‘Basorun Musulumi of Iwo land’.
READ: June 12: What Abacha’s daughter told me about MKO Abiola – Dele Momodu
Since the war of words between the youthful Oluwo and the elderly Ogundokun, the Oluwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi (Telu 1) has spewed several venomous allegations against Chief Abiola Ogundokun (Obanla of Iwo), claiming that he was the one who stopped the opportunity of having a Yoruba man becoming Nigeria’s President in 1993; that he was instrumental to the inability of the military to give MKO Abiola his political mandate and that he actually instigated the arrest and lock up.
In several fora and several YouTube syndicated videos, the Kabiyesi spewed garbage on Ogundokun’s personality.
But in this exclusive encounter with the 83 years old Chief and former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) under President Shehu Shagari, Ogundokun stated his own side of the story.
He first debunked the Oluwo’s allegation before giving us a full scale story of the chemistry between he, Abacha and MKO Abiola.
It is quite a revealing encounter like never before.
