Former President Olusegun Obasanjo did not win the 1999 presidential election that returned Nigeria to democratic rule, a delegate to the ongoing national conference in Abuja, Femi Okurounmu said Tuesday.
Okurounmu, who is a member of the Committee on Political Restructuring and Form of Government, told his colleagues at the committee’s meeting that the former president was only anointed by the “power brokers” to pacify the South-West because of the injustice of June 12.
He stated this while contributing to a debate on modalities for rotating electoral positions.
Prompt News recalls that Mr. Obasanjo defeated Olu Falae then of the Alliance for Democracy, AD, to emerge President in 1999.
Okurounmu, a former member of the Senate said, “Obasanjo did not win election; he was anointed by the powers that be to pacify the South West over the annulment of June 12, 1993 election.
“We did not vote for him. What I said, I have said it to his hearing”.
Stating his position, the former chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee, which packaged the ongoing National Conference, supported rotation of power.
However, he wouldn’t want that captured in the nation’s constitution while the political parties should not also reflect zoning in their constitution.
Okurounmu added that rather, rotation of power should be reflected in the Electoral Act, arguing that it would guarantee compliance.
Also contributing, another member of the Committee on zoning policy, Nimi Barigha-Amange, had this to say “Our greatest problem is fear and suspicion and that is why we want everything to be in the constitution.
“Then if we want zoning, we should zone the presidency to all ethnic nationalities in Nigeria so that all of them will enjoy the presidency.
“Obasanjo was not the best candidate in 1999 contest, but Nigerians decided to give it to south west for what happened to Chief Moshood Abiola. Nigeria has never had the best as its president”.
