Do You Know This Man, Used To Alter Nigeria’ Political History?

It is difficult, if not impossible to discuss Nigeria’s democratic evolution without a pride of place for this man, but he is now dead.

He is Dahiru Saleh, the man whom the military administration of that time used to annul the June 12, 1993 presidential election, which may people adjudged Nigeria’s freest.

The election was presumed won by business mogul and foremost philanthropist, Alhaji Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, but later annulled by the administration.

Saleh was the man used by the administration to annul the election.

A former Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), he died today aged 81 and has been buried in accordance with the Islamic rites.

The burial took place at his hometown of Azare in Bauchi State.

He was reportedly buried at the palace of the emir of Azare around 4:30 pm.

The June 12, 1993 election was the first democratic presidential elections held in Nigeria since the 1983 military coup.

The election was presumed Nigeria’s freest despite that the Social Democratic party of Abiola ran a Muslim-Muslim candidate for its presidential flag bearer and deputy, Abiola and Alhaji Babagana Kingibe.

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Abiola was subsequently arrested imprisoned when it was becoming obvious that he would seek to validate the mandate by all means.

While in detention, a lot of other things happened including the death of his wife, Kudirat Abiola the anchor of the struggle to redress the injustice on Abiola.

On the positive side however, those events marked the commencement of Nigeria’s democratic evolution.