SECRETARY to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, on Tuesday, June 9, said former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, was among key political figures who supported the principle of rotational presidency following the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election by then military ruler, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.
Speaking at a world press conference in Abuja, organised as part of activities marking the 27th Democracy Day anniversary, the former governor of Benue State said the controversial annulment of that election, regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest poll ever, and won by the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, forced political leaders to seek a consensus capable of preserving national unity and stabilising the country’s nascent democracy.
Recounting events that followed the crisis, Akume said leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) met in Kaduna, under the leadership of the late Solomon Lar and Adamu Ciroma, where the issue of zoning the presidency between the North and South was extensively debated.
According to the former senator: “It was a tough argument before the issue of rotational presidency was agreed on. At the end, we had to concede we must do this. The June 12 annulment had complicated the whole thing.
“It was finally agreed that we would be alternating between North and South.
“Atiku was one of the leaders at that meeting, which was convened by Lar. He was part of that agreement.”
He stated that the decision to rotate presidential power emerged as a political response to the grievances and divisions triggered by the annulment of the June 12 mandate, with the objective of promoting inclusiveness and strengthening national cohesion, after the annulment became one of the darkest moments in Nigeria’s democratic journey.
He added: “Abiola won that election round and square. That election was annulled by the military government. It was very painful because the people spoke and they spoke freely. They made their own choice.”
Akume noted that the enduring lesson from the June 12 experience was the inviolability of the people’s mandate in a democratic system. “The first lesson is that the voice of the people must always be supreme; it must be sacrosanct.
“That’s the beauty of democracy. We prefer the ballot to bullets.”
He expressed confidence in the democratic institutions, particularly the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying Nigeria had learnt painful lessons from the events of 1993 and would not tolerate another annulment of a credible election.
He stated: “If an election is conducted very fairly, and one wins, no problem. The actors at the INEC are not young people; they were adults when this thing happened.
“If we were to take a poll at that time, over two-thirds of Nigerians would have condemned that act of annulment.
“Fortunately for us, those at INEC are men of honour and integrity. They are well-read, patriotic Nigerians and they are determined to make a difference. Never again would such happen in this country.
“You win, you win. When you lose, go back and prepare for another election. Look at the American example. President Trump lost to Joe Biden. He didn’t bring America down. He went back, prepared and came back and won. That’s the beauty of democracy.”
“We have decided to embrace democracy. That is why, for 27 unbroken years, we are enjoying this freedom in a democratic setting. We love the values and the morals of democracy, and there is no system that is as beautiful as democracy.
“It is under a democratic system that you can insult your President and insult anybody and still go to bed without receiving a midnight knock on your door. Try it under a totalitarian regime.”
He charged politicians across party lines to respect electoral outcomes, deepen democratic culture and place national interest above partisan considerations.
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