Chief Olu Falae, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and presidential candidate in 1999, has asserted that he, not Olusegun Obasanjo, won the election that marked Nigeria’s return to civilian rule.
Speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show during a special Democracy Day broadcast, Falae claimed that election officials manipulated the results to rob him of victory. He said his legal team, led by the late Chief J.O.K. Ajayi, meticulously reviewed the vote tallies and concluded that he defeated Obasanjo of the Peoples Democratic Party by over a million votes.
“My lawyer, the late Chief JOK Ajayi, told me I won by more than a million votes after thoroughly analyzing the figures,” Falae revealed.
Despite the legal findings, Falae and his team chose not to challenge the results in court. He explained that they prioritized a smooth transition to civilian rule after years of military dictatorship.
Falae’s comments have revived debates surrounding Nigeria’s transition to democracy after the death of General Sani Abacha and the brief rule of General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who presided over the electoral process.
Many observers at the time saw the 1999 election as a political compromise meant to appease the South-West, still reeling from the annulled 1993 election won by MKO Abiola. Falae ran with the backing of the Alliance for Democracy and the All Peoples Party, while Obasanjo, also a Yoruba man and former military ruler, secured support from the political establishment and military elite under the PDP banner.
“We faced intense pressure to avoid destabilizing the country,” Falae said. “We made sacrifices to bring back democracy. I accepted the outcome in good faith then, but the truth is, I won that election.”
He emphasized that revealing the truth was not a personal agenda but a matter of national importance.
“This isn’t about me—it’s about setting the record straight. Nigerians deserve to know the truth about our democratic history,” he stated.
Falae also lamented Nigeria’s electoral shortcomings, arguing that the country has failed to conduct a truly credible election since 1993, despite the continued existence of civilian governance.
