President Bola Tinubu on Thursday led top government officials and other dignitaries to the national premiere of MKO, a documentary on the life and political legacy of the late businessman and politician, Moshood Abiola.
The premiere was held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, formerly the National Theatre, in Iganmu, Lagos, as part of activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
Tinubu attended the event with his wife, Oluremi Tinubu.
Among those present were Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Also at the premiere were Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy Hannatu Musawa, and former Ogun State Governor Segun Osoba.
The documentary was produced and directed by Nigerian-American filmmaker Ose Oyamendan, who said the film was aimed at preserving the story of Abiola and the events surrounding the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Speaking at the premiere, Oyamendan paid tribute to Tinubu and recalled his involvement in the pro-democracy struggle that followed the annulment of the election.
The filmmaker said Tinubu’s decision to serve as Chief Host of the premiere was significant because of his connection to the events documented in the film.
Oyamendan said the President and others who participated in the struggle against military rule made personal sacrifices in demanding the recognition of the June 12 mandate.
He also reflected on his own experience of the period, having worked as a journalist with Weekend Concord, a newspaper founded by Abiola.
According to him, making the documentary provided an opportunity to revisit the events surrounding Abiola’s political journey and present them to Nigerians who were either too young to remember the period or were born after the events.
MKO examines Abiola’s rise as a businessman, publisher, and politician, his participation in the 1993 presidential election, the annulment of the election by the military government, and the pro-democracy struggle that followed.
The documentary also covers Abiola’s detention and his death in custody in 1998.
It features archival footage and accounts from several people associated with the period, including former military Head of State Ibrahim Babangida, former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, and Abiola’s running mate in the 1993 election, Baba Gana Kingibe.
Former United States ambassador to Nigeria Walter Carrington, former US Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Pickering, former Canadian High Commissioner Gerald Ohlsen and members of the Abiola family also feature in the documentary.
Tinubu was among those featured in the film, reflecting his involvement in the pro-democracy movement during the period.
The 108-minute documentary had its international premiere at the Sheffield International Documentary Festival in the United Kingdom on June 12, 2026, before its national premiere in Lagos.
The film is scheduled to begin its commercial cinema run across Nigeria on Friday, October 2.
The premiere also marked Tinubu’s return to a major public engagement in Nigeria after his four-week working visit to Europe.
The President returned to Lagos on September 29 and was scheduled to participate in activities marking the Independence anniversary.
The event brought together political leaders, members of the creative industry, and personalities connected to Nigeria’s political history to revisit one of the defining episodes in the country’s democratic journey.
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