The outgoing permanent representative of the United States to the United Nations, Ambassador Susan Rice, has said that she will not make any comment on what transpired during the last living moments of the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, for personal reasons.
Rice was the assistant secretary of state for African affairs at the time Chief Abiola died on July 7, 1998.
A correspondent for Leadership had sought her comment over allegations that the late business mogul started gasping for breath after allegedly taking a cup of tea that was served by Rice.
But after waiting for three hours, and a call to Rice’s cellphone, her secretary said that the ambassador will not be making any comments on the matter owing to personal reasons.
Rice also refused a telephone interview, and even after an e-mail consisting of possible questions was sent to her, secretary of the United States Mission in New York, Harrera Kathleen warned the correspondent from persisting until a response was given by Rice.
Also, a former American ambassador to Nigeria Thomas Pickering, who was also with the former Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate on the day he died, declined to comment on the issue when an e-mail was sent to him.
Controversy has trailed the aftermath of the political impasse that followed the annulled June 12 election by the General Ibrahim Babangida-led military junta, as there has been suggestions that the late Abiola died as a result of a poisoned cup of tea that was personally handed to him by Rice in the presence of Pickering.
Pickering’s aides stationed at his Woodrow Wilson Institute office, initially promised to get a comment from him but later said that the former US ambassador would not like to speak on the issue due to security reasons. The aides also refused to release Ambassador Pickering’s direct mobile numbers.
All of this just gets you thinking.
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