Dan Nwanyanwu, the National Leader of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), has recounted the time he and Bola Ahmed Tinubu visited the late MKO Abiola during his stay in a Lagos hospital.
During one of those visits, which he said was frequent, he said Abiola told him that one of the reasons he wanted to be president was because of an emotional encounter with a chief surgeon at a London hospital who happened to be Nigerian.
Speaking on Arise News Prime Time, the politician said that President Tinubu was present when Abiola gave the account of his experience at the London hospital.
Nwanyanwu said that Abiola had vowed to build world class hospitals back home in Nigeria and bring home Nigerian doctors who are doing well in the field abroad.
Nwanyanwu lamented that monies meant to build standard hospitals in every state of the country are being stolen at the centre.
“Abiola had a swollen leg and he was admitted in the Eko hospital in Lagos.
“I was the only non-member of the family that was with him. The wife will bring food, leave it with me. I will serve him after eating, I will eat the remnants.
“Abiola called me one day, Comrade, do you know why I want to be president? I said, tell me, Mr. President. He said, ‘There was a time and went for surgery in a hospital to London, they wheeled me to the theater. Six doctors were in the room, three on my right, three on my left, all white people.
“After 10 minutes, I said do the thing and let me go. They said no, we are waiting for the chief surgeon. Not long, one black man came with two other doctors.
“When the black doctor entered, he moved close to Abiola and said ‘Ekaso’ and Abiola(surprised) answered (in Yoruba), what’s your name? Are you a Nigerian? The doctor said yes.
“Abiola told me tears dropped from his eyes. He said, ‘comrade, I will bring all these people back in Nigeria and put those hospitals here. Are you telling me that we cannot put Kings Hospital in every state in Nigeria?
“Are you telling me we cannot put these hospitals here? They have stolen the money for the hospitals from the center. We are selling oil but we are not seeing the money in the past how many years now.
“Abiola told me he cried that was part of the reason why he wanted to be president. Tinubu is aware of it. I’m calling him because everyday we were in Abiola’s house,” he said.
Why MKO Abiola Wanted To Be President
ZLP leader Dan Nwanyanwu, during an Arise News Prime Time interview, recalled his visits to the late MKO Abiola with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at a Lagos hospital, where Abiola shared that his presidential ambition was inspired… pic.twitter.com/GzcdWYR3a7
— ARISE NEWS (@ARISEtv) February 24, 2026
