Olu Falae Claims Victory in 1999 Presidential Election Over Obasanjo

Chief Olu Falae, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the joint presidential candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the All Peoples Party (APP) in the 1999 general elections, has claimed that he was the actual winner of the election that marked Nigeria’s return to civilian rule not former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

In an interview on Thursday, part of a Democracy Day special, Falae alleged that the results of the 1999 election were tampered with to favour Obasanjo, who ran on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Referencing a legal review conducted by his late lawyer, Chief J.O.K. Ajayi, Falae insisted he won the election by a wide margin.

“My lawyer, the late Chief J.O.K. Ajayi, after carefully reviewing the declared results, concluded that I won by more than one million votes,” Falae stated.

However, Falae explained that he opted not to challenge the outcome in court, choosing instead to preserve national peace and focus on ensuring a smooth return to civilian rule.

“We were more concerned about ensuring a peaceful transition to civilian rule after prolonged military governance. That was our focus at the time,” he said.

His statements have sparked renewed debate over the legitimacy of the 1999 transition process, which followed the death of General Sani Abacha and was coordinated under the leadership of General Abdulsalami Abubakar. That election was widely seen as a calculated effort to stabilize the country and address grievances from the South-West region following the annulled 1993 elections, which many believe were won by MKO Abiola.

Falae’s joint candidacy, supported by the two main opposition parties, was viewed as a conciliatory gesture to the Yoruba ethnic group. Obasanjo, also Yoruba and a former military ruler, was perceived to have the support of the political elite and military establishment.

“There was immense pressure on us not to upset the transition process,” Falae noted. “We made sacrifices to ensure that democracy could return. I accepted the outcome then in good faith, but the truth remains I won that election.”

Stressing the importance of setting the historical record straight, he added:

“This isn’t about me. It’s about the truth. Nigerians deserve to know what really happened at the dawn of this democratic era.”

Falae also expressed concern over the continued lack of credible elections in Nigeria, asserting that no truly free and fair election has taken place in the country since the annulled 1993 vote.