This is a look behind the scenes of Nigeria’s historic presidential election on June 12, 1993. In the history of Nigeria, this election is regarded as the freest and fairest. Then why was it thrown out?
Background: On December 31, 1983, Alhaji Shehu Shagari’s second attempt to lead a democratic government was stopped by the military because of serious electoral fraud. Major-General Muhammadu Buhari was installed as the Head of State and the Commander-In-Chief of the armed forces after the military took power in a peaceful coup.
Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.
Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, the Chief of Army Staff to Maj.-Gen. Buhari, was aware that the Buhari administration had no intention of handing power back to the democratic government. On August 27, 1985, Buhari seized power in a peaceful coup and immediately began planning the transition to a civil rule program.
President Babangida’s military administration came under a lot of pressure from within and outside the country to hand back power to the democratic government after several false declarations that the transition program had begun. President Babangida’s administration was unable to withstand the pressure and established the National Electoral Commission, led by Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, to conduct an election that would usher in the democratic government that was desired.
The National Electoral Commission (NEC) registered two political parties for the presidential election on June 12, 1993. There were two parties: M.K.O. Abiola is the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and and the National Republican Convention (NRC), whose flag was carried by Bashiru Tofa, a Kano businessman. Both the SDP and the NRC spent a significant amount of money on their political campaigns. In point of fact, the campaigns were regarded as Nigeria’s “most robust” political campaigns.
However, Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, the chairman of the NEC, and other members of the electoral commission decided to hold the presidential election on June 12, 1993, in order to end President Babangida’s military rule.
Nearly all eligible Nigerians showed up to vote for the first time in the country’s history. M.K.O. Abiola received more than half of the votes, giving him a clear victory over Bashiru Tofa. In fact, Bashiru Tofa lost in his ward, demonstrating M.K.O. Abiola’s widespread acceptance.
The presidential election held on June 12, 1993 produced:
Social Democratic Party (SDP): 8,341,309 votes, or 58.36 percent; National Republican Convention (NRC): 5,952,087 votes, or 41.64 percent; Total: 14,293,396 votes, or 100 percent The Annulment President Ibrahim Babangida announced the election’s annulment just as the NEC began to announce the results. “There were allegations of irregularities and other acts of bad conduct leveled against the presidential candidates but NEC went ahead and cleared them,” Babangida stated in the annulment speech. During the presidential election as well as the party primaries, there was proof and documented evidence of widespread financial use. The same bad behavior was the reason the party’s 1992 presidential primaries were canceled. The government has evidence indicating that the presidential candidates spent more than two billion one hundred million naira. The entire speech can be read here.
Nigerians were especially shocked and enraged, as was the entire world. Rites, street demonstrations, and planned civil disobedience followed. The country was suddenly thrown into chaos. As a result, on August 26, 1993, President Babangida resigned and established the Chief Earnest Shonekan-led Interim National Government. On November 17, 1993, Gen. Sanni Abacha resigned and assumed control of the government. This rekindled the country’s riots and protests, which resulted in the imprisonment and death of numerous individuals.
Abiola vs. Abacha For a variety of reasons, M.K.O. Abiola believed that the new Head of State, Gen. Sanni Abacha, would hand over power to him. As a result, he persuaded a large number of his followers to back his administration. However, the situation was reversed! M.K.O. Abiola had expected Abacha to act differently.
This enraged MKO Abiola Moshood Abiola and compelled him to declare a Government of National Unity on June 11, 1994, at Epetedo in Lagos. “As of now, from this moment, a new Government of National Unity is in power throughout the length and breadth of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, led by me, Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola, as President and Commander-in-Chief,” Abiola stated in a speech titled “Enough is Enough.” The National Assembly will now meet again. All governors who were fired are reinstated. All local government councils as well as the State Assemblies have been reconfigured. I encourage them to take a unified stance on each issue that comes up.
Our guiding principle will be a bipartisan approach at the national level. I ask the usurper General Sani Abacha and the rest of his illegal ruling council to immediately announce their resignations. We are prepared to negotiate with them to determine the procedures necessary for a smooth transfer of power. If they quietly hand over, I guarantee that their positions will be treated with the utmost respect and that they will retire with all of their benefits. Our goal is not retaliation or a witch hunt; rather, it is to put the will of the Nigerian people into action through free elections held by the appropriate authority at the time.
Invoking the authority granted to me by my victory in the aforementioned election, I hereby appeal to all members of the armed forces, police, civil service, and public sector in the entire Federal Republic of Nigeria to obey only the Government of National Unity that I, as your sole elected President, lead. At this time, the only legitimate, constituted authority in the Federal Republic of Nigeria is My Government of National Unity.
Abiola continued: “I declare that the decision of the Federal Military Government to cancel the results of the elections is unpatriotic and capable of causing undue and unnecessary confusion in the country. I cannot surrender (my mandate) unless the people demand it.”
Abiola was detained and imprisoned as a result of his actions. Alhaja Kudirat Abiola was killed on June 4, 1996, two years after Abiola’s wife attempted to restore her husband’s authority. The assassination was blamed on Abacha’s government.
On June 8, 1998, Gen. Sani Abacha’s brutal regime ended due to his sudden death, whose cause is still up for debate today.
The Controversial Death of M.K.O. Abiola.
Thirty days later, on July 7, 1998, Abiola passed away in the presidential clinic following a meeting with some American delegates at the Akinola Aguda House in the presidential villa. Thomas Pickering, the US under-secretary for political affairs, Susan Rice, the assistant secretary of state for Africa, and William Twaddell, the US ambassador to Nigeria, were the American delegates.
On June 9, 1998, shortly after Abacha’s death, Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar assumed control of the government. On May 29, 1999, he eventually ceded power to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s democratic government.
