Anenih Betrayed Abiola, Scuttled June 12 Struggle — Frank Kokori Reveals

BEVERY HILL, November 30, (THEWILL) – Former General Secretary of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Chief Frank Kokori, has revealed that Chief Tony Anenih betrayed Chief M.K.O Abiola, presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, and scuttled the struggle to reclaim Abiola's mandate.

Kokori, responding to comments in Anenih's autobiography entitled: 'My Life and Nigeria Politics' where Anenih revealed that he advised Abiola not to declare himself President, which the late business mogul did not heed, however admitted that he wasn't aware that Abiola was going to declare himself as President because he won the election.

Anenih, who was the National Chairman of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), the platform with which the late Abiola ran for June 12 said he wished Abiola had 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, Kokori, who led NUPENG in a series of June 12 protests to actualise Abiola's mandate, in a phone interview with Vanguard, insisted that Abiola's decision to declare himself was a natural decision.

“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,” he said.

“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.

“Anenih scuttled June 12 and incapacitated the struggle for the actualisation of Abiola's mandate.

“It was natural that Abiola declared himself President because he won the election and had the mandate of Nigerians to be President.”

Story by Oputah David