The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, has said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was among political leaders who supported the adoption of rotational presidency in Nigeria following the annulment of the 12 June 1993 presidential election.
According to Mr Akume, the annulment of the election won by the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola forced political leaders to take difficult decisions aimed at preserving national unity and strengthening democracy.
The clarification was contained in a statement issued by Mr Akume’s Media Aide, Yomi Odunuga, following a World Press Conference held in Abuja on Tuesday as part of activities marking Nigeria’s 27th Democracy Day anniversary.
“Atiku was part of the agreement” — Akume
Mr Akume recalled that leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party met in Kaduna under the leadership of the late Chief Solomon Lar and Alhaji Adamu Ciroma to deliberate on Nigeria’s political future after the 12 June crisis.
According to him, the issue of rotational presidency generated intense debate before political leaders eventually agreed to alternate power between the North and South.
“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,” Mr Akume stated.
Debate over 2027 power rotation
Mr Akume’s remarks come amid renewed political debates over zoning and rotational presidency ahead of the 2027 general election.
Mr Atiku, a northerner and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, is expected to challenge incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is seeking a second term.
President Tinubu, a southerner, emerged president in 2023 after the completion of the two-term tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari, also from the North.
Critics have repeatedly argued that political consensus currently favours the presidency remaining in the South until 2031.
June 12 lessons and democracy
Reflecting on the significance of June 12, Mr Akume described the annulment of the 1993 election as a painful setback to Nigeria’s democratic aspirations.
“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.
He stressed that the greatest lesson from June 12 is that the will of the people must remain supreme in any democratic society.
“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.”
Akume defends Nigeria’s democratic progress
The SGF expressed confidence in Nigeria’s democratic institutions, especially the Independent National Electoral Commission, saying the country had learnt from the mistakes of 1993.
He commended INEC officials for their commitment to protecting democratic values and insisted that Nigeria would never witness another annulment of a freely conducted election.
Mr Akume also highlighted freedom of expression as one of democracy’s major gains.
“It is under a democratic system that you can insult your president and insult anybody and still go to bed, and you don’t receive a midnight knock on your door. Try it under a totalitarian regime.”
He urged political actors to respect electoral outcomes, embrace democratic principles and continue strengthening Nigeria’s democratic culture.
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