1. Several of those involved in the election are
dead

MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the election,
died in detention in 1998. Also, Justice Bassey
Ikpeme, who gave the controversial order stopping
the election, died in 1997.

Clement Akpamgbo, the attorney general and
minister of justice who was involved in the legal
tussles, died in 2006.

Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, the then second-in-
command to General Ibrahim Babangida, who
famously said Abiola could not be sworn in as
president because government was owing him a lot
of money, died in 2011.



2. The celebration lasted only two hours

Following the election victory, most Nigerians
celebrated in the streets. However on that fateful
day, 25 years ago, the celebrations were short-
lived as two hours later, the military declared the
election results annulled.


3. No Hausa or Fulani politicians featured on the
tickets

Strangely, the 1993 elections had no person of
Hausa or Fulani extraction picked as presidential
or vice-presidential candidate.

Alhaji Bashir Tofa, who contested against Abiola, is
a Kanuri from Kano. Alhaji Babagana Kingibe, a
Kanuri from Borno state, was Abiola’s running
mate. However, after the annulment, the Hausa/
Fulani bore the brunt.


4. Abiola won the election

This is not surprising, but it is quite important to
know that he won the election, fair and square.
Abiola scored 58.36% of the 14 million votes cast.
His rival, Tofa, polled 5,952,087 votes,
representing 41.64%. Only three states each
returned more than 1 million votes, all southern:
Lagos, Rivers (now Rivers and Bayelsa) and Ondo.



5. Abiola received the highest votes in Lagos
state

Abiola received his highest votes from Lagos state.
He smiled home with 883,965. Ondo state (now
Ondo and Ekiti) delivered a total of 883,024 votes,
which gave Lagos a good run for its money.



6. The southwest were solidly behind him

Abiola scored more than 80% in each of the five
southwestern states: Lagos, Ondo, Oyo, Osun and
Ogun state. Osun’s 87% was his highest percentage
nationwide. His 78% in Kwara was his highest
outside of the southwest.



7. His rival scored poorly

Tofa did not score up to 80% in any state. He came
close to that in Sokoto where he got 79%.
Incidentally, Abiola scored his worst percentage in
Sokoto (20%). Tofa, however, did not score up to
70% in any other state after Rivers.



8. June 12 should be a national holiday

Many Nigerians are of the opinion that June 12
should be a national holiday. The date is celebrated
in honour of an annulled presidential election in
June 12, 1993. However, only some Nigerian states
were actually celebrating it until Wednesday, June
6, when President Muhammadu Buhari surprised
the whole nation by declaring June 12 the new
Democracy Day to replace May 29.



9. Babangida's role

The election was annulled by Ibrahim Babangida
because of alleged evidence that they were corrupt
and unfair, a development that ushered in a
political crisis that led to General Sani Abacha
seizing power later that year.



10. Abiola declared himself president

In 1994, Abiola declared himself the lawful
president of Nigeria in the Epetedo area of Lagos
Island, an area mainly dominated by Lagos
indigenes, after he returned from a trip to solicit
the support of the international community for his
mandate.
After declaring himself president he was declared
wanted and was accused of treason and arrested on
the orders of military President General Sani
Abacha who sent 200 police vehicles to bring him
into custody.



11. Abiola's death

Abiola died on July 7, 1998 on the day he was due
to be released from incarceration under suspicious
circumstances shortly after the death of General
Abacha. The official autopsy stated that Abiola died
of natural causes but Abacha’s chief security
officer, Al-Mustapha, alleged he was beaten to
death.



12. The fairest election till date

The election was declared Nigeria’s freest and
fairest presidential election by national and
international observers, with Abiola even winning
in his Northern opponent’s home state. June 12 is,
thus, a day to remember chief Moshood
Kashimawo Olawale Abiola as well as other
democracy martyrs.

We know all these facts. It's good we teach our younger generation the history involved. June 12 can never die.