Nigerian Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has urged President Bola Tinubu to officially recognize the late Chief MKO Abiola as one of Nigeria’s past presidents by placing his portrait alongside those of other former leaders in the Presidential Villa.
Speaking to Senate correspondents on Tuesday, Kalu referenced former military president Ibrahim Babangida’s recently released memoir, where Babangida admitted that Abiola won the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
“Yes, Abiola won the election. And I will say President Tinubu should declare him a president posthumously,” Kalu stated. He commended former President Muhammadu Buhari for conferring a national honor on Abiola but insisted that further recognition was needed to bring closure to the matter.
The former Abia State governor also called on Babangida to publish a second volume of his memoirs, addressing unanswered questions surrounding the annulment of the June 12 election. “I was present during the events of June 12, and I know what happened. Babangida should call out the names of those responsible for preventing the election declaration,” he added.
Beyond June 12, Kalu expressed strong support for Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, asserting that “Asiwaju will win again in 2027.” He urged Nigerians to be patient with the president’s reform agenda, arguing that historical trends favored incumbents securing second terms.
“The good news is that we will win again in 2027. The president will return, and Nigerians will celebrate with us. That is inevitable,” Kalu declared.
