President Bola Tinubu on Thursday led top government officials and other dignitaries to the national premiere of MKO, a documentary chronicling 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 the dignitaries 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 in attendance 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 MKO documentary was produced and directed by Nigerian-American filmmaker Ose Oyamendan. It 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 film also covers Abiola’s detention and death in custody in 1998.
Speaking at the premiere, Oyamendan said the documentary was intended to preserve the history of Abiola and the events surrounding the June 12, 1993 election for younger generations.
He also paid tribute to Tinubu, recalling his involvement in the pro-democracy struggle following the annulment of the election.
Oyamendan said Tinubu’s decision to serve as Chief Host was significant because of his connection to the events documented in the film.
The 108-minute documentary features archival footage and accounts from several figures 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 is among those featured in the film, reflecting his involvement in the pro-democracy movement of the period.
The 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 following his four-week working visit to Europe. He returned to Lagos on September 29 ahead of 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.
