They also questioned Abdulsalami's account of Abiola's death, rejecting his claim that the late businessman and presumed winner of the June 12 election died of natural causes rather than being poisoned.
Two leading figures of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Col Tony Nyiam (retd.) and Chief Ayo Opadokun, have pushed back against claims by former Head of State, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), that members of the pro-democracy movement sought an extension of military rule in 1998.
The NADECO chieftains described the assertion as a misrepresentation of the coalition's position, insisting that the group, which was at the forefront of the struggle against military dictatorship following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, never advocated prolonging military rule. Rather, they said NADECO consistently demanded a credible democratic transition built on a people-driven constitution and the restoration of Chief MKO Abiola's mandate.
They also questioned Abdulsalami's account of Abiola's death, rejecting his claim that the late businessman and presumed winner of the June 12 election died of natural causes rather than being poisoned.
The rebuttal followed revelations contained in Abdulsalami’s recently launched autobiography, Call of Duty, in which the former Head of State claimed that some leaders of NADECO privately appealed to him to prolong the military transition programme after becoming convinced of his commitment to handing over power to a civilian administration in 1999.
