Falae Alleges He Defeated Obasanjo in 1999, Says Election Was Rigged for Political Stability
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and 1999 presidential candidate, Chief Olu Falae, has made a bold claim that he, and not Olusegun Obasanjo, won Nigeria’s pivotal 1999 presidential election an election that marked the country’s return to civilian rule after years of military dictatorship.
Falae, who spoke during a Democracy Day interview on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Thursday, asserted that a post-election legal analysis conducted by his late counsel, Chief J.O.K. Ajayi, revealed he had defeated Obasanjo by over one million votes. Despite the damning findings, Falae said he refrained from challenging the results in court for the sake of national peace and a smooth democratic transition.
“I was told by my lawyer, the late Chief J.O.K. Ajayi, that I won the election by over a million votes after a meticulous assessment of the figures declared,” Falae said.
“But we decided not to go to court. We were more concerned about the country returning to democracy peacefully after years of military rule.”
Falae’s revelation has reignited longstanding questions about the credibility of the 1999 election an election widely seen as a calculated compromise by the military and political elite to restore civil governance, particularly following the death of military ruler General Sani Abacha and the political fallout from the annulled June 12, 1993, election presumed to have been won by MKO Abiola.
Running on the joint platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the All Peoples Party (APP), Falae was widely regarded as the South-West’s political concession after the injustice of June 12. Yet Obasanjo also a Yoruba and former military Head of State was presented by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a unifying candidate with strong establishment support, including the backing of key military figures.
According to Falae, this context of political tension and ethnic appeasement played a role in his decision not to contest the outcome legally, even though, he insists, justice was denied.
“There was so much pressure not to rock the boat. We made sacrifices for democracy to return. I accepted it in good faith then, but the truth must be told: I won that election,” he declared.
In a more reflective tone, the elder statesman emphasized that his motive for speaking out was not self-serving but rooted in the need for historical accuracy and national introspection.
“It’s not about me. It’s about the truth. Nigeria deserves to know the real story behind its so-called democratic rebirth,” Falae added.
His comments come at a time when public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic institutions continues to erode. Despite over two decades of uninterrupted civilian rule, the country remains plagued by allegations of election rigging, voter suppression, and institutional bias.
Falae lamented this persistent crisis of credibility, pointing out that since the annulment of the 1993 polls, Nigeria has failed to conduct a truly free and fair presidential election. According to him, the democratic structure built in 1999 was shaky from the start and has never fully recovered.
“We’ve had elections, but have we had true democracy? That’s the question. Since 1993, we’ve been managing transitions, not building trust. And until we fix the electoral system, democracy in Nigeria will remain in name only.”
Falae’s assertion adds another complex layer to Nigeria’s democratic history, challenging the official narrative of the 1999 transition as a national milestone. As debates surrounding electoral integrity and historical revisionism grow louder, his remarks are likely to provoke both introspection and controversy in equal measure.
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Falae Alleges He Defeated Obasanjo in 1999, Says Election Was Rigged for Political Stability