Chapter 2: The June 12 Presidential Primaries of the SDP and NRC
By Biodun Durojaiye
“He called for a meeting in Kwande’s house. I do not know what he discussed with the late MKO Abiola. I was not privy to the meeting, and he did not tell me. But when we got to the meeting in Ambassador Kwande’s house, all he told me was, ‘Turaki.’ I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ He said, ‘Step down for MKO Abiola.’ I said, ‘Okay, sir. I have stepped down”.
The road to June 12, 1993, was paved with intrigue, ambition, and the relentless maneuvering of Nigeria’s most formidable political actors. At the heart of the drama were the presidential primaries of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the National Republican Convention (NRC)—the two government-created parties through which General Ibrahim Babangida hoped to orchestrate a controlled transition to civilian rule. But as the curtain rose on the primaries, it became clear that the actors had their own scripts.
The Shadow of Military Manipulation
The military government, wary of losing control, intervened early and often. In a move that would reverberate through the entire process, General Babangida dissolved the party structures and disqualified the original presidential candidates selected by both parties. This heavy-handed action, described by many as “maradonic dribbling,” was intended to forestall a “northernization” of the presidency and to keep the military’s preferred candidates in play. The government’s interference left party members outraged but powerless. As one observer later put it, “Many NRC and SDP members were outraged by this blatant intervention, but had little option but to bow to Babangida’s demands”.
SDP: Factions, Alliances, and a Battle in Jos
Within the SDP, the contest quickly narrowed to three men: Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, Babagana Kingibe, and Atiku Abubakar. Each drew support from powerful factions.
Abiola was championed by the People’s Solidarity Party (PSP) faction, which had deep roots in the Southwest and ties to political titans like Bola Ige and Pa Michael Ajasin.
Atiku Abubakar was the candidate of the People’s Front (PF), led by the influential General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua.
Kingibe enjoyed the backing of a coalition of governors and party insiders.
The primaries were grueling. To even reach the national convention in Jos, aspirants had to win at the ward, local government, and state levels—a process that tested both popularity and political machinery. Abiola’s campaign, dubbed “Hope 93,” was a masterclass in modern electioneering, blending relentless grassroots mobilization with sophisticated data analysis and, as his son Kola Abiola later recalled, “a LOT of money”.
Kola Abiola: “How do you win an election? Well, you run an aggressive campaign backed by data… and a LOT of money”.
Read Also: Witness to June 12: The Story of Nigeria’s Annulled Presidential Election (INTRODUCTION)
Abiola’s momentum was unmistakable. He swept the local and state conventions, winning 375 votes unopposed at the ward level, 383 out of 386 at the local government, and 1,112 out of 1,146 at the state convention.
But the decisive moment came in Jos. On the eve of the convention, Atiku Abubakar was summoned by his mentor, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua.
In a 2025 interview, Atiku recalled: “He called for a meeting in Kwande’s house. I do not know what he discussed with the late MKO Abiola. I was not privy to the meeting, and he did not tell me. But when we got to the meeting in Ambassador Kwande’s house, all he told me was, ‘Turaki.’ I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ He said, ‘Step down for MKO Abiola.’ I said, ‘Okay, sir. I have stepped down”.
With Atiku’s withdrawal, the battle was now between Abiola and Kingibe. The first ballot was close: Abiola secured 3,617 votes to Kingibe’s 3,225. A second round followed, and again Abiola triumphed by a slim margin, clinching the party’s presidential ticket.
NRC: The Rise of Bashir Tofa
The NRC’s primary was less dramatic but equally consequential. Bashir Tofa, a relatively unknown figure from Kano, emerged as the party’s flag bearer after the disqualification of more prominent contenders, like Adamu Ciroma. Tofa’s ascent was seen by many as a sign of the NRC’s weakness. As one commentator put it, “Bashir Tofa, a political and social lightweight from Kano, was very easily defeated by the well-known international business mogul and national and international philanthropist, Aare Moshood Abiola, in the June 12, 1993 presidential elections”.
Read Also: Witness to June 12: The Story of Nigeria’s Annulled Election (CH 1)
The Machinery Behind the Candidates
The SDP’s strength lay in its ability to unite Nigeria’s fractious political elite. The party was an “umbrella amalgam of political godfathers from every Nigerian tribe”—Abubakar Rimi, Sule Lamido, Anthony Anenih, Jim Nwobodo, Solomon Lar, Atiku Abubakar, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Olusola Saraki, Alex Ekwueme, Bamangar Tukur, Babagana Kingibe, and many others. This unprecedented coalition built one of the most formidable political machines in Nigerian history, propelling Abiola to victory in the primaries and, ultimately, in the general election.
As an observer noted, “Nigerians were so much desirous of reclaiming political power from the military, that they subdued all their differences and built one of the most sophisticated political machines ever assembled in Nigeria”.
The Option A4 System: Transparency and Trust
The primaries—and later the general election—were conducted under the innovative Option A4 open/secret ballot system, introduced by Professor Humphrey Nwosu, chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC). This system, which required voters to queue openly behind their chosen candidates, was widely praised for its transparency and for minimizing fraud.
Professor Humphrey Nwosu: “All the artificial bottlenecks and fraudulent practices of most dubious politicians were crushed through a fairly transparent system that suited both the literate and illiterate. It was seemingly rig-proof”.
The Aftermath: A Nation Poised for Change
By the time the primaries ended, the stage was set for a showdown between two men who could not have been more different: Abiola, the charismatic billionaire and unifier, and Tofa, the reserved technocrat. But beneath the surface, the scars of military interference and elite maneuvering remained. The choices made in the primaries—and the alliances forged and broken—would shape the fate of the nation in the months to come.
As M.K.O. Abiola himself reflected on the eve of his greatest political triumph: “Everybody has got a role to play in history. One either fulfills it or betrays it”.
The primaries were over, but the real drama was only just beginning.
