An honest explanation of what killed Chief MKO Abiola

Chief Moshood Kasimawo Abiola was a Nigerian Business man and politician from ogun state, his unofficial victory in the 1993 presidential elections and his refusal to accept General Ibrahim Babangida’s annulment of the elections led to a political crisis in Nigeria. He was imprisoned for years and later died unexpectedly shortly after the death of General Sani Abacha, on the day he was due to be released, while meeting group of American diplomats including Susan Rice the American assistant secretary of state who served him the infamous cup of tea few minutes to his death.
Chief MKO Abiola was the winner of Nigeria’s freest and fairest election which took place on June 12 1993, the election was later annulled by General Ibrahim Babangida the then military head of state, which led to a political crisis across Nigeria. Babandida was compelled to step aside and hand over to Ernest Shonekan.
On November 1993, Abacha toppled the interim National Government of shonekan and sized power for himself. Abiola was arrested and detained. Four years later Abacha was murdered by an unidentified forces and General Abdulsalami Abubakar took power.
On July 7, 1998 Exactly 30 days after Abacha was killed, and the day Abiola was due to be released, a group of American diplomats arrived Dr. nnamdi Azikiwe international airport, Abacha had died a month earlier and his successor Abdulsalami Abubakar, hoped to shepherd Nigeria through a democratic election to select a new leader. The primary objective of the Americans visit was to meet the wrongfully imprisoned opposition leader Chief Moshood Abiola and negotiate his freedom so that he could participate in the upcoming election.
According to Abiola’s security officer ASP Zadok, Abiola was hale and hearty and in a very high spirits just before going into the meeting with the Americans.
Susan Rice the American Assistant Secretary of led a group of American diplomat which includes the U.S ambassador to Nigeria to a meeting with Chief Abiola at Aguda house a Government guesthouse on the vast presidential complex in Abuja. Chief Abiola was robust and happy to see them; he began narrating how he had been treated during his four years in prison.
About five minutes into the conversation, Susan Rice the Assistant secretary of state served him the now infamous cup of tea which Chief Abiola received in appreciation, he stated coughing intensively after taking a sip and was pronounced dead an hour later by his doctor .
Abiola returned home finally on a Saturday morning but instead of a hero welcome that his supporters have hoped to give him when he arrived, Abiola made his final journey in a coffin. Heavily armed police men were deployed in the western region in anticipation of violence.
Abiola’s death shocked the whole nation and left his followers in disbelief, and inspired numerous conspiracy theories, but the lasting of those conspiracies put Abiola’s blood on the hands of a foreign body: the united states of America’s Central Intelligence Agency.
But according to the testimony of Susan Rice the U.S assistant secretary of state who served him the infamous cup of tea, she met MKO Abiola on that fateful day with swollen ankles. And about five minutes into the meeting Abiola stated to cough, at first mildly and intermittently, and then with consistency, noticing a tea service on the table, she offered Abiola a cup and with appreciation he accepted, then took a sip but increasingly uncomfortable, Abiola removed his outer cloth. She called the security officer who quickly put a call to the doctor, the doctor arrived, took a quick look at him and declared that Abiola was having a heart attack, he was transported to the hospital and was pronounced dead an hour later.
The other issue that has generated considerable controversy was the issue of Autopsy. Two autopsy took place. The first consisted of a panel of international and foreign pathologies that were flown to Nigeria to conduct the exercise under the supervision of the federal Government, they returned a verdict that the death was caused by natural causes occasioned by a heart attack. Abiola’s family rejected the result on the ground that they were not represented and that no Nigerian doctors participated.
As a consequences of their concern a second Autopsy was conducted which also returned a verdict of death by natural causes, ordinarily this would have brought closure to the whole matter until one considers the fact that it was the federal government itself that organized the Autopsy and that the team of doctors that carried it out was led by General Abdumsalami Abubakar ‘s personal physician with America and Britain sending a representative.