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The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, CON, has said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was among the political leaders who agreed to the adoption of rotating presidency in Nigeria following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Senator Akume made this clarification on Tuesday while answering questions at the global press conference held in Abuja as part of activities marking the 27th anniversary of Nigeria Democracy Day.
In a statement by Yomi Odunuga, Akume’s
The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity of the SGF recalled that the annulment of the June 12 elections, widely regarded as the freest and fairest elections in Nigeria’s history and won by Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, necessitated far-reaching political decisions aimed at preserving national unity and strengthening the country’s democratic foundations.
According to him, leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) met in Kaduna under the leadership of late Chief Solomon Lar and Alhaji Adamu Ciroma to deliberate on the way forward, with the change of power and the party’s presidential candidacy prominent on the agenda.
“There was a tough discussion before an agreement was reached on the issue of rotation of the presidency. In the end we had to give in. We have to do it. The cancellation of June 12 complicated everything. In the end it was agreed that there will be an alternation between North and South.
“Atiku was one of the leaders of that meeting, called by Chief Solomon Lar. He was part of that agreement,” Akume said.
The SGF explained that the decision to alternate presidential power between the North and the South arose from the need to address the political consequences of the annulment of June 12 and to promote inclusion and national cohesion.
Reflecting on the significance of June 12, Senator Akume described the annulment as a painful step back to the democratic aspirations of Nigerians, stressing that the elections were found to be free, fair and credible.
“Abiola won that election round and round. That election was annulled by the military government. It was very painful because the people spoke and spoke freely. They made their choice,” he said.
He added that one of the most lasting lessons of the June 12 experience is the supremacy of the popular will in a democratic society.
“The first lesson is that the voice of the people must always be supreme; it must be sacrosanct. That is the beauty of democracy. We prefer voting to bullets,” he said.
Senator Akume expressed confidence in Nigeria’s democratic institutions, particularly the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying the country has learned valuable lessons from the events of 1993 and will never allow such a nullification to happen again.
“If an election is conducted very fairly and one wins, no problem. The actors of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are not young, they were adults when this thing happened. If we had done 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 honor and integrity, they are educated and patriotic Nigerians and they are determined to make a difference. Never again would something like this happen in this country.
You won, you won. When you lose, go back and prepare for another election. Look at the American example. President Trump lost to Joe Biden. It didn’t bring down America.
He came back prepared, he came back and won. This is the beauty of democracy.
“We have decided to embrace democracy. That is why, for 27 years, we have enjoyed this freedom in a democratic context. We love the values and morals of democracy and there is no system as beautiful as democracy.
“It’s in a democratic system that you can insult your president and insult everyone and still go to bed, and you don’t get a midnight knock on your door. Try that under a totalitarian regime,” Akume said.
He urged political actors to embrace democratic principles, respect election results and continue to strengthen the nation’s democratic culture.
The SGF further noted that Nigeria’s 27 years of uninterrupted democratic rule underlines the country’s commitment to democratic values, freedom of expression, the rule of law and peaceful political participation.
