A daughter of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, the undeclared winner of the 1993 presidential election, Hafsat Abiola-Costello, on Wednesday said that her father was greater than ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, hence Abiola needed no recognition by the former president.
This is coming after Obasanjo’s statement on Saturday, acknowledging that the late acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election made sacrifices that needed to be recognised by the nation.
Obasanjo made the remark in Abeokuta at the 4th Founder’s Day of Nobelhouse College, and 85th birthday of an industrialist, Chief Olatunde Abudu.
In his words he said: “Ogun State would have produced three presidents if not for bad belle. I want to agree with him (Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo) that Abiola sacrificed for the nation.”
Chief Abiola who won the annulled presidential election on June 12, 1993 died in detention was remembered on Wednesday, at the Kudirat Abiola’s 18th anniversary, organised by the Campaign for Democracy, in collaboration with Women Arise and the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy.
Abiola-Costello said: “I feel that if he wanted to recognise MKO Abiola now, it’s good for him. But, MKO Abiola was always the greater man. And you cannot recognise somebody that is more than yourself. MKO Abiola did not require General Obasanjo to recognise him.”
