Lagos Set For Star-Studded MKO Abiola Documentary Premiere As Tinubu Attends

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is scheduled to serve as Chief Host at the Nigerian premiere of MKO, a feature-length documentary exploring the life, political journey and legacy of late businessman and politician Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the premiere will take place on October 1, 2026, at the Wole Soyinka National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos, coinciding with Nigeria’s Independence Day. The documentary is expected to open in cinemas nationwide on October 2.

Tinubu, who is returning from a working visit to Europe, is expected to attend the event in Lagos. The President’s role as Chief Host was announced ahead of the national premiere.

Directed and produced by Nigerian-American filmmaker Ose Oyamendan, MKO examines the events surrounding the June 12, 1993 presidential election, its annulment by the military government, Abiola’s subsequent detention and the pro-democracy struggle that followed.

The documentary also explores the circumstances surrounding Abiola’s death in detention in 1998 and draws on archival footage and first-hand accounts from individuals connected to the events.

Among those featured in the film are former military leaders Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka and Babagana Kingibe, who was Abiola’s running mate in the 1993 election. Other contributors include former US diplomats Walter Carrington and Thomas Pickering, former Canadian High Commissioner Gerald Ohlsen, members of Abiola’s family, foreign journalists and Theodore Zadok, who served as Abiola’s security guard during his detention.

The film had its international premiere at the Sheffield International Documentary Festival in the United Kingdom on June 12, 2026, before its planned Nigerian release.

The October 1 premiere will precede the documentary’s nationwide cinema release on October 2, with Nile Entertainment handling its distribution in Nigeria.