Says he advised Obasanjo not to go into politics
Former military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, (rtd), has revealed that the Late Moshood Abiola, acclaimed winner of the June 12 1993 Presidential election in Nigeria, died after falling ill.
Speaking during a television interview, he said Abiola died but was not killed. He explained that this was contrary to insinuations that Abiola took tea that was allegedly poisoned before he passed on.
Abubakar explained that during the incarceration of Moshood Abiola, except his personal doctor, to his knowledge, no member of his family saw him and when he became Head of State, based on consultation and interaction together with Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, he gave the family a date that they could come and see him.
He further explained that a day before he died, his family came to Abuja to see him, stressing that for one reason or the other, the whole family could not see him at the same time, so it was agreed that when this group of his family will see him today, tomorrow the next team will see him.
The former Head of State stated that it was at this meeting when the American team was meeting Abiola that he fell sick and suddenly the security officers called the medical team to come and attend to him, adding that when they saw the situation, they said it was severe and they needed to take him to the medical centre.
He further stated that it was the medical team plus the American team that took him to the medical centre, unfortunately at the medical centre he gave up.
The former Head of State, further revealed how he advised former President Olusegun Obasanjo against joining politics shortly after he was freed from detention.
Obasanjo, who was detained by the regime of the Late Gen. Sani Abacha, regained freedom when Abdulsalami took over power.
Abdulsalami subsequently handed over power to Obasanjo who was elected president in 1999. After this, some critics accused the ex-Head of State of imposing Obasanjo on Nigeria.
But in the interview, Abdulsalami dismissed such a thought, narrating how Obasanjo visited him shortly after his release and sought his advice on going into politics.
The Chairman, National Peace Committee, said he advised Obasanjo to disregard the people, rather go home and sort out his health, insisting that he had nothing to do with Obasanjos participation in the poll that brought him to power in 1999.
