Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, on Tuesday said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was among the political leaders who agreed to the adoption of rotational presidency in Nigeria following the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.

Akume made the disclosure while responding to questions during a World Press Conference in Abuja as part of activities marking Nigeria’s 27th Democracy Day anniversary.

According to him, the decision to rotate presidential power between the North and the South was reached by leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the aftermath of the June 12 crisis as a means of addressing the political fallout from the annulment of the election widely believed to have been won by Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola.

Recounting events that followed the annulment, Akume said PDP leaders met in Kaduna under the leadership of the late Chief Solomon Lar and Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, where the issue of power shift dominated discussions.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga, Akume said “at the meeting, there were two items on that agenda: power shift and candidature of our party for a presidential election. 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.

“Atiku was one of the leaders at that meeting, which was convened by Chief Solomon Lar. He was part of that agreement”, Akume said.

The SGF noted that the rotational arrangement subsequently became a key stabilising factor in Nigeria’s democratic journey, stressing that it was designed to foster national unity and inclusion.

Speaking on the significance of June 12, Akume described the 1993 presidential election as one of the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history, maintaining that Abiola won the poll convincingly.

“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,” he said.

Akume, who said he actively participated in the election, recalled that Abiola secured victory even in Kano State, the home state of his opponent, Alhaji Bashir Tofa.

He said the annulment offered enduring lessons for Nigeria’s democracy, chief among them the supremacy of the people’s will.

“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 said.

The SGF expressed confidence that Nigeria’s electoral institutions had learnt from the mistakes of the past and would not permit a recurrence of such an incident.

“Fortunately for us, those at the Independent National Electoral Commission are men of honour and integrity. 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,” he stated.

Drawing parallels with the United States, Akume cited the political comeback of President Donald Trump after losing an election as an example of democratic resilience.

He added that Nigeria’s uninterrupted democratic experience over the past 27 years underscored the nation’s commitment to democratic values, freedom of expression and the rule of law.

“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,” he said. (The Nation)

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