By Ahmed Idris
Daughter of Late MKO Abiola, Hafsat Abiola-Castello, has disclosed that her dad was rehearsing his inauguration address when his June 12, 1993 election was annulled by the military president, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd).
Hafsat disclosed this in her vote of thanks during a ceremony at State House Conference Centre where her late father was formally honoured as Grand Commander of the Federal Republic by President Muhammadu Buhari.
She said her late mother, Kudirat Abiola, who was also killed in the struggle in 1996, told her how Abiola was standing before a mirror to rehearse his inauguration speech.
“Because MKO Abiola was a stammerer, I was told he never went beyond ‘Fellow Nigerians’ in the speech,” she said.
Hafsat, while accepting Buhari’s apology on behalf of the family, also apologised to the President for anything Abiola could have done or said to hurt him.
The first son of the deceased politician, Kola, later led other members of the family to thank Buhari and accept his apology
