The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has said that Nigeria’s 27 years of uninterrupted democratic governance demonstrate the people’s commitment to democracy and preference for ballots over violence.
Akume made the remarks on Tuesday during a news conference in Abuja ahead of the 2026 Democracy Day celebrations.
The conference, themed “27 Years of Uninterrupted Democratic Governance in Nigeria: Challenges, Achievements and the Road Ahead,” focused on the country’s democratic journey since the return to civilian rule in 1999.
According to the SGF, one of the key lessons from Nigeria’s democratic experience is the supremacy of the people’s will in determining leadership through the electoral process.
“The lesson first is that the voice of the people must always be supreme. It must be sacrosanct.
That’s the beauty of democracy.
The lesson is so clear. We prefer the ballot to bullets,” Akume said.
The SGF also reflected on the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, widely regarded as one of the freest and fairest elections in Nigeria’s history.
He recalled participating actively in the election and maintained that the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola was the rightful winner of the poll.
“That election was adjudged to have been free, fair and very credible.
I believe Chief MKO Abiola won that election. Even in Kano State, where his opponent, Alhaji Bashir Tofa, hailed from, Abiola emerged victorious,” he stated.
Akume described the annulment of the election by the military government as painful and unjustified, noting that Nigerians had freely expressed their choice through the ballot box.
“The people spoke and they spoke freely.
They made their own choice.
There was no basis whatsoever for the cancellation of that election,” he said.
He further noted that the lessons from the June 12 annulment influenced political leaders within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to adopt a power-sharing arrangement that encouraged the rotation of the presidency between the North and South.
Akume emphasized that Nigeria’s democratic journey remains a testament to the resilience of its people and the nation’s commitment to constitutional governance despite the challenges encountered over the years.
“The voice of the people must always be supreme…That’s the beauty of democracy.”
George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, recalls how political leaders agreed on power rotation, describing the arrangement as a key pillar of Nigeria’s democratic journey. pic.twitter.com/ov7j4fmk00
— News Central TV (@NewsCentralTV) June 9, 2026
