Ibrahim Babangida's annulment of Yoruba (southwest) chieftain Moshood Abiola's June 1993 election victory (as it had privately promised) but in the eyes of the south-west it embarked upon a systematic project to marginalise the Yoruba from Nigeria's administration business and armed forces...
He was no great admirer of Abacha but does not want the former ruler's security system rolled back too far; like most senior officers he opposed the unconditional release of the Yoruba millionaire and presumptive winner of the last presidential election the late Moshood Abiola...
Although the sudden death of Chief Moshood Abiola (60) happened in the presence of a visiting United States' delegation on 7 July it has nevertheless raised suspicions of foul play among his supporters and doused hopes that the country's new military leader General Abdulsalaam Abubakar might be able to usher in a new climate of popular political reform...
On 22 June government sources in Abuja were insisting that substantive talks with the gaoled winner of the 1993 elections Moshood Abiola were proceeding...
He has been telling friends that he never opposed Moshood Abiola becoming President but that a cabal on the ruling military council had forced the annulling of the 1993 elections...
The release of any high-profile political prisoners such as 1993 election winner Moshood Abiola former Head of State Gen...
But because the Alaafin awarded gaoled election winner Moshood Abiola a traditional title - Aare Ona Kakanfo - southern oppositionists are convinced there is a political thread to the affair...
Like nine of the thirteen alleged coup-plotters detained in the third week of December Diya is a Yoruba from the west home of the gaoled winner of the aborted 1993 presidential poll Chief Moshood Abiola...
Nigeria's military regime robustly defends its sovereignty against interfering outsiders especially those Western powers applying sanctions after the gaoling of election winner Moshood Abiola and the execution of activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others...