# June 12, 1993: The Annulled Election

> On 12 June 1993, Nigerians elected Chief MKO Abiola of the Social Democratic Party president over Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention in what is widely called the country's freest election. General Ibrahim Babangida's military government annulled the result on 23 June 1993, triggering a crisis that led through an interim government to Sani Abacha's coup; Nigeria recognised 12 June as Democracy Day in 2018.

**Category:** History · **Updated:** 2026-07-26 19:36:35 · **Canonical:** https://nigeriastuff.org/a/june-12-1993

## Key facts
- **Election date:** 12 June 1993
- **Candidates:** MKO Abiola (SDP) vs Bashir Tofa (NRC)
- **Reported result:** Abiola: 8,341,309 votes (19 states + FCT); Tofa: 5,952,087 votes (11 states)
- **Annulled:** 23 June 1993, by General Ibrahim Babangida
- **Interim government:** Ernest Shonekan's Interim National Government, from 26 August 1993
- **Abacha coup:** 17 November 1993
- **Abiola's self-declaration and death:** Epetedo Declaration, 11 June 1994; arrested 23 June 1994; died in detention, 7 July 1998
- **Democracy Day:** Moved to 12 June by President Buhari, announced 6 June 2018; posthumous GCFR for Abiola

## Sources
- MKO Abiola: 1994 Epetedo Declaration — The Speech That Killed Abiola — HistoryVille (https://www.thehistoryville.com/abiola-epetedo-declaration-speech/)
- June 12, 1993 Election Annulment: Reasons, Details, and Events That Led to It — Pulse Nigeria (https://www.pulse.ng/story/june-12-1993-election-annulment-2025060506325055366)
- Buhari Declares June 12 Democracy Day, Honours Abiola with GCFR — Punch Nigeria (https://punchng.com/buhari-declares-june-12-democracy-day-honours-abiola-with-gcfr/)

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