As Nigeria marked this year’s Democracy Day on June 12, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and 1999 presidential candidate, Chief Olu Falae, dropped a political bombshell, claiming he was the rightful winner of the 1999 presidential election but was denied victory by the military elite who installed Olusegun Obasanjo as president.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television, the elder statesman said late billionaire diplomat, Ambassador Deinde Fernandez, confirmed to him that foreign observers had results showing he won the election with a 1.5 million-vote margin. He alleged that those figures were reportedly seen by American officials.
“The truth is, I won the election. The figures were known to key foreign missions. It was a clear victory,” Falae said, adding, “But the military had made up their minds. They needed a former soldier to protect their interests and close the door on accountability.”
Falae, who was the joint candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the All People’s Party (APP), claimed that the military establishment was uncomfortable with a “thoroughbred civilian” assuming power at the time Nigeria was transitioning from decades of military rule.
“The military needed someone they could trust. I was too independent, too civilian. Obasanjo was one of them—a general. That’s why they chose him,” Falae said.
The 1999 election marked Nigeria’s return to civil rule after 16 years of military dictatorship.
Obasanjo, who had previously ruled as a military head of state between 1976 and 1979, was released from prison and presented as a consensus candidate by the military-backed People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Falae, who served as Finance Minister and later SGF under military regimes, insisted that his track record in both public and private sectors made him the better prepared candidate.
“I had served without blemish. I was ready to serve the people with integrity,” he said.
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