I Won 1999 Election, But Military Feared I’d Probe Them — I Wouldn’t Have Probed Babangida Regime, Says Olu Falae
I Won 1999 Election, But Military Feared I’d Probe Them — I Wouldn’t Have Probed Babangida Regime, Says Olu Falae
He made the revelation during an interview session with Arise News to mark the 2025 June 12 Democracy Day, monitored by SaharaReporters.
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and ex-presidential candidate, Chief Olu Falae, has claimed that he won the 1999 presidential election against former President Olusegun Obasanjo, but was denied victory by the military establishment.
He made the revelation during an interview session with Arise News to mark the 2025 June 12 Democracy Day, monitored by SaharaReporters.
“Yes, we fought for Democracy. In February 1999, I contested a presidential election with my boss and now friend, General Olusegun Obasanjo. It was clear to everybody that I won the election.
“Remember, I went to court, I hired the late Chief G.O.K. Ajayi (SAN) as my lawyer. G.O.K. was able to establish that the results that were duplicated and counted, I won by 1.5 million votes.
“And I was told much later by the late Deinde Fernandez that he had seen the results of the election in America, and that I won a landslide victory. I have no doubt in my mind, and most Nigerians have no doubt whatsoever.”
“Clearly, the military was jittery about a truly brave civilian taking over from them, but they would rather go for a hybrid civilian (politician) in the person of General Obasanjo,” Falae said.
He alleged that top military figures were afraid he would investigate their past actions if he assumed office, despite his own history of service under the military regime.
“What I was told was that they are afraid that if I become President, I might decide to probe the military. That is ridiculous because I served five years in Babangida’s government. First as secretary for four years, and then as minister for one year. How could I be so stupid that I would probe a government of which I was a part of?” he stated.
The 1999 election season commenced with Olusegun Obasanjo, newly released from prison after being detained by General Sani Abacha, securing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket.
Meanwhile, Olu Falae, also recently freed from imprisonment under Abacha’s regime, contested the presidency on a joint ticket representing the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the All People’s Party (APP).
For the 1999 presidential election, 57.9 million Nigerians registered to vote, but only 30.3 million (52.3%) voted, with 431,611 of them invalid.
“IClearly Won the 1999 Election Against Olusegun Obasanjo”
~ Chief Olu Falae says pic.twitter.com/iehS6ZQppY
— Nigeria Stories (@NigeriaStories) June 12, 2025
Topics
Politics
Sahara Reporters
SaharaReporters.com is an outstanding, groundbreaking news website that encourages citizen journalists to report ongoing corruption and government malfeasance in Africa. Using photos, text, and video dynamically, the site informs and prompts concerned African citizens and activists globally to act, denouncing officially-sanctioned corruption, the material impoverishment of its citizenry, defilement of the environment, and the callous disregard of the democratic principles enshrined in the constitution.
Connect with us
Sahara Reporters
About
Support Us
Advertise
RSS Feeds
Submit A Story
Sections
News
Reports
Opinion
Politics
Business
Sports
Entertainment
Lifestyle
Education
Videos
Photos
Documents
Copyright
Copyright © 2006–2025 Sahara Reporters, Inc. All rights reserved. — Privacy Policy
Powered by Drutopia
