No poison, no cover-up: Abdulsalami gives fresh account of Abiola’s death

Former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, has revealed that the American delegation present in Nigeria when the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola died was initially denied access to the detained politician, prompting his personal intervention to facilitate the meeting that would later end in tragedy.

Abdulsalami made the disclosure in his forthcoming autobiography, scheduled for public presentation in Abuja on Saturday. The book, published by Cable Books and distributed nationwide by Rovingheights Bookstores, offers fresh insights into one of the most controversial episodes in Nigeria’s political history.

Abiola, widely regarded as the winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, died on July 7, 1998, during a meeting with a visiting United States delegation in Abuja. His sudden death sparked widespread protests, particularly in Lagos, and fueled allegations that he had been poisoned.

Americans Wanted to See Abiola

According to Abdulsalami, the U.S. delegation was led by former American ambassador to Nigeria, Thomas Pickering, and included Susan Rice.

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The delegation had visited Nigeria shortly after the death of former military ruler Sani Abacha to assess the country’s political situation and engage with various stakeholders.

Abdulsalami said the delegation complained during a meeting with him that they had been denied access to Abiola, despite the visit being largely centred on discussions with the detained politician.

He expressed surprise at the development, saying he was unaware of any restriction and immediately instructed his Chief Security Officer, Abdulrasheed Aliyu, to arrange a meeting between the Americans and Abiola.

According to Abdulsalami, Susan Rice later disclosed that the delegation intended to encourage Abiola to participate in a new political transition programme being considered after Abacha’s death.

‘My Head Went Blank’

The former military leader recounted receiving a distressing call from his Chief Security Officer shortly after the meeting commenced.

He said Aliyu informed him that Abiola had suddenly become restless, started coughing and sweating during the discussions before being rushed to the State House Clinic, where he died.

Abdulsalami described the moment as one of the most devastating experiences of his life.

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“My head went blank,” he wrote, adding that the development threatened ongoing efforts to stabilise the country following years of political turmoil triggered by the annulment of the June 12 election.

He immediately informed his deputy, Vice Admiral Mike Akhigbe, and the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Gidado Idris, before arranging to receive the American delegation and Abiola’s family at his residence.

The former Head of State recalled the emotional moment he informed the family about Abiola’s death, noting that one of Abiola’s daughters broke down uncontrollably and had to be comforted by Susan Rice.

Fear of a New Political Crisis

Abdulsalami admitted that the tragedy raised fears of a fresh political crisis at a time when the nation was still grappling with the aftermath of Abacha’s sudden death just a month earlier.

Abacha had detained Abiola in 1994 after the businessman declared himself president on the first anniversary of the annulled election.

The former Head of State said he later reflected on how much worse public suspicion would have been if the American delegation had not been allowed to see Abiola before his death.

“If we had not allowed the American delegation to see him and he had died in custody, it would have been a different story,” he wrote.

‘Abiola Was Not Poisoned’

Addressing long-standing allegations that Abiola was poisoned, Abdulsalami firmly rejected the claims, insisting that the evidence available pointed to natural causes.

According to him, the Abiola family requested an autopsy following his death, leading to the formation of an international team of pathologists from Nigeria, the United States, Britain and Canada.

The autopsy, he said, was conducted transparently with the participation of Abiola’s personal physician, Dr. Ore Falomo, as well as representatives of the Nigerian Medical Association and government-appointed experts.

The findings, publicly presented on July 11, 1998, by Canadian Chief Coroner James G. Young, concluded that Abiola suffered from severe long-standing heart disease.

The report identified extensive narrowing of the coronary arteries and significant enlargement of the heart caused by prolonged hypertension, conditions capable of causing sudden death.

Abdulsalami noted that toxicological tests found no evidence of poisoning and that eyewitness accounts were inconsistent with symptoms typically associated with poison-related deaths.

American pathologist John Pless, who participated in the autopsy, reportedly stated that the medical condition responsible for Abiola’s death had existed for between 10 and 14 years.

Conspiracy Theories Persist

Despite the autopsy findings, Abdulsalami acknowledged that conspiracy theories surrounding the deaths of both Abacha and Abiola continued to circulate.

One theory suggested that powerful interests eliminated Abacha and later Abiola to resolve Nigeria’s political crisis. The former Head of State dismissed such claims as unfair and unsupported by evidence.

He maintained that he was satisfied with the autopsy results and had no reason to suspect foul play.

The retired general also dismissed allegations that members of his administration secretly orchestrated Abiola’s death without his knowledge, insisting that the deaths of figures as prominent as Abacha and Abiola would not have escaped his attention.

According to him, many of the rumours gained traction after he left office and were amplified during proceedings of the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission, popularly known as the Oputa Panel.