Tinubu, First Lady, Akpabio, Barau, Kalu, Others Watch Premiere of Documentary on MKO Abiola

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday evening led top government officials to watch the premiere of the documentary on winner of June 12, 1993 presidential poll, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola entitled MKO at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts in Iganmu, Lagos.

The President was joined at the event by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio; Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; his Ogun State counterpart, Dapo Abiodun and that of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

Others present included Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu; Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy Hannatu Musawa; former Ogun State Governor, Aremo Segun Osoba and other top government officials.

The documentary, MKO, directed by Nigerian-American filmmaker Ose Oyamendan, chronicles the life, political journey and legacy of the late Chief MKO Abiola, with particular focus on the June 12, 1993 presidential election, its annulment, subsequent detention and the pro-democracy struggle that followed.

The film, which had its international premiere at the Sheffield International Documentary Festival in the United Kingdom in June 2026, features archival materials and first-hand accounts from key personalities connected to the period

With its national premiere in Lagos on October 1, the documentary is scheduled for release in cinemas nationwide on October 2, 2026

Late Chief MKO Abiola occupies a prominent place in Nigeria’s democratic history as the winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, which was annulled by the then military government of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.