Abdul Mumuni, son of the late Nigerian businessman and politician MKO Abiola, has clarified misconceptions about the size of his family.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Mic On Podcast, Mumuni stated that his father had “only 55 children,” contrary to widespread beliefs that Abiola had 40 wives and 103 children, News About Nigeria reports.
Mumuni explained that despite the popular narrative, DNA tests confirmed that only 55 children were Abiola’s biological offspring.
“You know the Abiola family, we are not that much. People think we are a lot. We are only 55,” he said.
Mumuni elaborated that while there were about 40 wives, “most of the wives had maybe one or two children for my dad. Not every one of them.”
He also addressed the misconception that Abiola was financially responsible for 103 people’s education, stating, “When my father was alive, he was paying for 103 people to go to school. But like I said, not all of them were his. So after the blood tests, we happen to be 55.”
Mumuni further revealed a controversial detail about his elder brother, Kola Abiola.
He claimed that Kola was dating the daughter of former head of state Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) while their father was imprisoned.
This relationship allegedly occurred during a tumultuous period in Nigerian history when IBB annulled the June 12, 1993, general election, widely regarded as the freest and fairest election in the country’s history.
Abiola, the presumed winner, was subsequently detained and later died in military custody on July 7, 1998.
During the interview, Mumuni also criticised Kola for not upholding Abiola’s political legacy and failing to unify the family.
He said that Kola’s actions did not align with the principles and efforts of their father, who remains a significant figure in Nigeria’s political history.
