MKO Abiola’s Hope ‘93 Campaign DG Is Dead

A former Senate Majority leader, Jonathan Zwingina, is dead.

A family source told SaharaReporters on Thursday that the former lawmaker died in Abuja on Wednesday after falling ill about four days earlier.

“He took ill about four days ago at his residence in Abuja and died days later,” the source said.

Zwingina was elected Senator for the Adamawa South constituency of Adamawa State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in 1999 and was reelected in April 2003, again on the PDP platform.

The former senator, who was 70 years old, served as a member of committees on Works & Housing (chairman), Establishment, Internal Affairs, Information, Special Projects, Privatization and Economic Affairs.

Zwingina’s residence in Abuja was demolished in February 2007, allegedly on the orders of Nasir el-Rufai, then Federal Capital Territory Minister.

He played a key role in Nigeria’s 1993 presidential election as the Director-General of the ‘Hope ’93’ campaign organization for the late Chief Moshood Abiola, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate.

Unfortunately, the election, which was widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest presidential election, was annulled by General Ibrahim Babangida, the then-military president.

This annulment led to a political crisis, ultimately resulting in General Sani Abacha seizing power later that year.