Anenih abandoned Abiola, incapacitated June 12 struggle — Kokori

FORMER General  Secretary of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Chief Frank Kokori, has lambasted Chief Tony Anenih over his comments that he advised Chief  M.K.O Abiola not to declare himself President, which the late business mogul did not heed.

Chief Anenih was the national chairman of the defunct Social Democratic Party, SDP, the platform with which the late Abiola, presumably, won the June 12, 1993 presidential election. Abiola died in detention in July 1998. He was arrested after he declared himself as president.

The Kokori-led NUPENG played crucial roles in the series of June 12 protests to actualise Abiola’s mandate.
In his autobiography entitled: My Life and Nigeria Politics, Anenih, 83, among others, said he wished Abiola listened to his advice against declaring himself president because “if he did, I believe he would, in all probability, still have been alive today.”

Reacting to this statement, Kokori told Vanguard on phone, yesterday: “I read the statement by Anenih and that was correct, even myself, who was a key player then was not told by Abiola. He never told me that he was going to declare himself President.
“But that does not hide the fact that Anenih as chairman of the defunct Social Democratic Party, SDP, which Abiola belonged to, betrayed Abiola and the June 12 struggle.

Vanguard, November 30

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now