“I would like for (MKO Abiola) to be officially declared the winner” – Rinsola Abiola on June 12, 1993 Election

Rinsola Abiola, the Special Assistant (New Media) to the Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, and President, All Progressives Congress Young Women Forum (APC-YWF), who is also the daughter of M.K.O Abiola has said that she’d like for her father to be declared winner of the June 12, 1993 election.

Rinsola made this known in an interview with Dare Odufowokan, the assistant editor at The Nation newspaper.

The interview came after President Muhammadu Buhari honoured Abiola with the GCFR title, his running mate, Baba Gana Kingibe with GCON and declared June 12th, as Nigeria’s new Democracy Day instead of May 29th.

See excerpts:

On what more she’d want Nigeria to do for her father and for the June 12 mandate:

Yes. I would like for him to be officially declared the winner as I still do have issues with the term “supposed winner”. We need to make it official. It would also not be too much to seek justice regarding his death and the deaths of all other democracy activists during those dark days. So far, Nigeria has not certainly treated the Abiola family well. However, President Buhari has initiated the process of righting the wrongs.

On the difficult moments for her during her father’s struggle for the actualisation of the June 12 mandate:

Every other day, back then, during my father’s struggle for the actualisation of June 12 mandate, was a difficult moment. I grew up without a father, hoping that he would be home someday. Every single day was difficult and knowing that he was never going to come home was even more so. As a family, we felt sad while he was in detention. We were sad, but hopeful for his eventual release. However, that never happened.

On why her father refuse to abandon the June 12 struggle despite challenges:

I believe the reason is simple; collective benefit should always outweigh personal motivations. My father was selfless and this reflected in everything he did; from how he cared for the masses to his struggle for democracy. My father wanted the total emancipation of the Nigerian people and he stood firm for what he believed in. What he did is the most courageous and noble thing anyone could do.

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