More than two decades after the death of Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola – the belated winner of Nigeria’s June 12, 1993 presidential election, a shocking detail has emerged about the scramble over his legacy.
According to Olalekan Abiola, one of MKO’s sons, 66 individuals who claimed to be his father’s children failed DNA verification.
After MKO’s death on July 7, 1998, 120 people came forward insisting they were his biological children. But only 54 were confirmed after the mandatory DNA tests outlined in his will.
“About 120 children came forward to say they were MKO’s children, but only 54 of them passed the DNA test at the end of the day,” Olalekan revealed in an interview.
MKO Abiola’s Generosity Attracted Women With Children
Olalekan said his father was extremely generous to women in need, often helping them with rent, food, school fees, and accommodation.
“They used to come and line up in front of this house every month to collect their allowances,” he said.
MKO gave them shelter, helped them raise their children, and provided apartments for some.
“Then they began to call themselves Mrs. Abiola, even though many of them were not,” Olalekan added.
He explained that many of these women later changed their children’s surnames to Abiola after MKO died, in a bid to claim inheritance.
“Some came with children and said their husbands had abandoned them,” he said. “They came to him and gave themselves willingly.”
MKO Abiola: A Life Guided By Faith
Olalekan described his father as deeply committed to Islam, which shaped his actions and decisions.
“I think the most important thing I learnt from him is to hold on to our religion, Islam,” he said.
He stressed that MKO’s life revolved around faith and charity, not the indulgences associated with power.
“My father never drank alcohol. He never went partying. He was not a gambler,” he said.
Despite being surrounded by many women, Olalekan insisted MKO never went after them. Instead, they came to him — most seeking help.
The Crowd That Gathered Daily
Olalekan painted a vivid image of his father’s home, where women of all kinds showed up in numbers.
“When my father was alive, we saw women outside the house every day,” he recalled.
“About 10 to 15 different women, with different shapes and complexion, would come to see him for one thing or the other every day,” he added.
He made it clear that these women weren’t part of his father’s search for pleasure but a part of his mission to give.
The influx of women, however, became a source of confusion over MKO’s true family — one he tried to clarify before his death by insisting on DNA tests.
“That was why my father wrote in his will that DNA test had to be done for all those who claimed to be his children,” Olalekan stated.
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