Atiku Among Leaders Who Approved Power Rotation After June 12 — Akume

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, has disclosed that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was among political leaders who supported the adoption of a rotational presidency in Nigeria following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

Akume made the revelation on Tuesday in Abuja during a World Press Conference held to mark the 27th Democracy Day anniversary, saying the arrangement was a political compromise designed to restore stability after one of the country’s most turbulent democratic moments.

He explained that the crisis triggered by the annulment of the June 12 election; widely believed to have been won by the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, forced political actors to rethink the structure of power sharing in order to preserve national unity.

According to him, leaders of the then political class met in Kaduna under the leadership of the late Chief Solomon Lar and Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, where the question of zoning and rotation of the presidency between North and South was extensively debated.

“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,” Akume said.

He added that Atiku Abubakar was part of the meeting and played a role in the discussions that led to the consensus on power rotation.

“Atiku was one of the leaders at that meeting. He was part of that agreement,” the SGF stated.

Akume noted that the rotational presidency principle was not originally part of Nigeria’s constitutional framework but emerged as a political solution to manage tensions and deepen inclusion after the annulled election created sharp divisions across the country.

He described the June 12 annulment as one of the most painful episodes in Nigeria’s democratic journey, stressing that it remains a reminder of the importance of respecting the will of the electorate.

“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.

The SGF added that the core lesson from the June 12 experience was that the mandate of the people must remain sacrosanct in any democratic system.

“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 stated.

Akume expressed confidence that Nigeria’s democratic institutions, particularly the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), have grown stronger and more credible since the return to civilian rule in 1999.

He insisted that the country would not allow a repeat of the annulment of a free and fair election, saying democratic progress depends on respecting electoral outcomes.

“If an election is conducted fairly and one person wins, there is no problem. When you lose, you go back and prepare for another election,” he said.

Drawing international comparisons, Akume cited the United States as an example of democratic maturity, noting that electoral defeat does not destabilise established democracies.

He said Nigeria’s 27 years of uninterrupted democratic governance reflected gradual institutional strengthening, despite persistent political and governance challenges.

Akume maintained that the rotational presidency arrangement, which emerged after the June 12 crisis, continues to play a stabilising role in Nigeria’s political system by promoting balance and inclusion across regions.

He also reiterated that lessons from the June 12 annulment remain central to Nigeria’s democratic evolution and ongoing conversations around equity, power sharing and national cohesion.