President Bola Tinubu is set to host the Nigerian premiere of a new documentary examining the annulled 12 June 1993 presidential election and the political crisis that followed.
Titled MKO, the documentary chronicles the political journey of the late MKO Abiola, who was the presidential candidate widely reported to have won the 1993 election, as well as the pro-democracy struggle that followed its annulment.
The film will premiere in Nigeria on 1 October at the National Theatre in Lagos, coinciding with Nigeria’s Independence Day. It will open in cinemas across the country the following day.
The Nigerian premiere comes eight days after an international screening at American University in Washington, DC, scheduled for 23 September.
The Washington event, titled “Democracy Denied: Nigeria’s Annulled 1993 Election and Its Lasting Legacies”, will use the documentary as the basis for a discussion on the annulment, its democratic consequences and lessons for contemporary electoral institutions.
Produced by former Nigerian journalist and international filmmaker Ose Oyamendan, MKO draws on archival material and first-hand accounts to examine the events surrounding the election, its annulment and the political struggle that continued until Abiola died in detention in 1998.
Among those featured in the documentary are former military Head of State Ibrahim Babangida, whose administration annulled the election, and former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, who later oversaw the transition to civilian rule in 1999.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka and Babagana Kingibe, who was Abiola’s running mate in the 1993 election, also feature in the film.
Other contributors include former United States Ambassador to Nigeria Walter Carrington, former US Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Pickering, former Canadian High Commissioner Gerald Ohlsen, members of Abiola’s family and foreign journalists who covered the political crisis.
The documentary also features Theodore Zadok, who served as Abiola’s security guard during his detention and provides an account of the final period of the politician’s life.
Oyamendan said the decision by Tinubu to serve as chief host was significant because of the President’s involvement in the pro-democracy movement during the military era.
“For us, as a film team, it is an enormous honour that President Tinubu is recognising this important film as chief host,” Oyamendan said.
He said the documentary was intended to go beyond Abiola’s personal story and examine the political choices made during the crisis.
“This was a crucial point in Nigeria’s history where many of our leaders back then chose to side with the dictators. Tinubu risked his life, livelihood and his family’s safety by standing with the people’s mandate.
“This is a story of that struggle that has brought us to where we are today,” he said.
According to the filmmaker, the documentary explores the broader themes of power, political choices and the consequences of decisions made during Nigeria’s military era.
Those themes will also feature at the Washington screening, which will be followed by a panel discussion involving Oyamendan; Carl LeVan of American University; Adotei Akwei of Advocacy Network for Africa; and Folabi Olagbaju of Democracy Campaign/Greenpeace USA. Nneka Achapu of the African Public Affairs Committee will moderate the discussion.
Organisers said the event would examine the legacy of the annulled election and its implications for contemporary electoral institutions.
The international screening comes ahead of the documentary’s Nigerian cinema release, with Nile Entertainment handling its distribution from 2 October.
The company’s Managing Director, Moses Babatope, said the documentary had a personal significance for him because his father worked at Concord Newspapers, founded by Abiola.
“The story of MKO Abiola is particularly personal to me. My father worked at Concord Newspaper, one of the institutions founded by Chief MKO Abiola, so his legacy has always had a personal connection to my family,” Babatope said.
He described the documentary as an important contribution to preserving Nigeria’s political history and making the events of the June 12 era accessible to younger Nigerians who did not experience them.
“MKO Abiola’s story is one of the most defining periods in our nation’s democratic journey, and it is important that this history is documented and made accessible, particularly to a younger generation,” he said.
Babatope added that Nile Entertainment was proud to support the nationwide cinema release.
The documentary had its world premiere on 12 June at the Sheffield International Documentary Festival and is scheduled for further screenings and theatrical releases in Europe and North America.
Oyamendan said bringing the film to Nigeria was important because the events it chronicles remain part of the country’s political history.
“This is a story that belongs to Nigerians. It is about memory, power, courage, sacrifice and the consequences of political choices,” he said.
He added that more than three decades after the annulment, Nigerians had an opportunity to examine the events beyond commemoration and consider their continuing significance.
“Most importantly, it is about people who believed that their voices mattered. Thirty-three years after 12 June, we have the opportunity to look back at what happened, not simply to remember it, but to understand it and ensure it never happens again,” Oyamendan said.
The 1 October premiere will bring the documentary’s account of the June 12 crisis into a contemporary political setting, with Tinubu serving as host and several figures connected to Nigeria’s military and pro-democracy history featured in the film.
The documentary will be released in cinemas nationwide from 2 October.
