The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has revealed that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was one of the key political figures who consented to the implementation of a rotational presidency in Nigeria after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
Akume disclosed this on Tuesday during a World Press Conferenceg in Abuja, organized to mark Nigeria’s 27th Democracy Day anniversary.
He explained that the cancellation of the June 12 election—widely acknowledged as the country’s freest and fairest poll, won by the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola—compelled political leaders to make strategic choices to ensure national unity and stabilize democracy.
According to Akume, chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gathered in Kaduna under the guidance of the late Chief Solomon Lar and Alhaji Adamu Ciroma to exhaustively deliberate on power rotation and the zoning of the presidential ticket.
“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. June 12 annulment had complicated the whole thing. It was finally agreed that we’ll be alternating between North and South,” Akume stated in a release signed by his spokesman, Yomi Odunuga.
“Atiku was one of the leaders at that meeting, which was convened by Chief Solomon Lar. He was part of that agreement,” he added.
The SGF noted that the arrangement to alternate power between the Northern and Southern regions of the country was designed to ease the political friction caused by the annulment, while fostering a sense of belonging and national unity.
Looking back at the events of June 12, Akume characterized the annulment as a distressing obstacle in Nigeria’s democratic history, reaffirming that the results of that election truly represented the choice of the citizens.
“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,” he said.
He emphasized that the ultimate takeaway from June 12 remained the supremacy of the citizens’ choice in a democratic system, highlighting that Nigeria has since fortified its electoral frameworks to forestall a recurrence.
“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 said.
Akume expressed his trust in the nation’s democratic bodies, especially the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), stating that the country has gained vital insights from its previous errors.
He further called on political figures to honor election results and uphold democratic principles, emphasizing that 27 years of continuous civilian governance demonstrates Nigeria’s dedication to democracy, freedom of expression, and constitutional law.
