The June 12, 1993, presidential election in Nigeria remains one of the most significant turning points in the nation’s democratic history. It was widely believed to have been won by Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (M.K.O.) Abiola in what observers, both local and international, described as Nigeria’s freest and fairest election. However, before the results could be officially declared, the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida annulled the election, plunging the country into a deep political crisis.

In the wake of the annulment, pro-democracy groups and activists rallied to demand the restoration of Abiola’s mandate. Among the most prominent was the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), a broad-based coalition of politicians, intellectuals, professionals, and activists united in the fight against military dictatorship and for the enthronement of democratic governance.

One of the young politicians who rose to prominence during this struggle was Bola Ahmed Tinubu, then a senator under the short-lived Third Republic. Tinubu became a member of NADECO, standing alongside other eminent figures such as:

Chief Anthony Enahoro
Chief Abraham Adesanya
Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (Rtd.)
Commodore Dan Suleiman (Rtd.)
Professor Wole Soyinka
Chief Ayo Adebanjo
Chief Ganiyu Dawodu
Chief Olu Falae
Chief Cornelius Adebayo
Chief Kudirat Abiola
Pa Alfred Rewane
Chief Bisi Akande
Dr. Amos Akingba
Chief Supo Shonibare
Chief Ayo Opadokun
Chief Ebenezer Babatope
Chief Femi Okurounmu
Chief Segun Osoba
Chief Dapo Sarumi
Chief Femi Falana (later closely associated with NADECO activities)

NADECO’s activism drew heavy repression from the military regime of General Sani Abacha, who seized power after Babangida’s exit in 1993. As the coalition intensified its campaign, members were subjected to arrests, torture, harassment, and, in some cases, assassinations. The struggle also claimed the lives of notable activists such as Pa Alfred Rewane and Chief Kudirat Abiola, whose murder in 1996 shocked the nation.

Like many of his colleagues, Bola Tinubu was forced into exile after narrowly escaping arrest. Fleeing through the Benin Republic, he eventually joined other exiled NADECO leaders abroad. From foreign soil, they launched international campaigns, drawing global attention to Nigeria’s democratic struggle and exposing the human rights abuses of the Abacha regime.

The military government branded the exiled activists as “enemies of the state,” confiscating properties and trailing them across borders. Yet, the resistance continued, sustained both at home and abroad. The struggle endured until June 1998, when General Sani Abacha’s sudden death created a turning point, opening the path for Nigeria’s eventual return to civilian rule in 1999.

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This rare 1963 photograph captures two prominent political figures of Nigeria’s First Republic—Chief Remilekun Fani-Kayode, popularly known as “Fani-Power”, and Chief D.K. Olumofin—during a school inspection in Western Nigeria.

Chief Fani-Kayode, a Cambridge-trained lawyer, first rose to prominence as a fiery youth leader in the Action Group before defecting to the NCNC, where he became Leader of the Opposition in the Western House of Assembly. Amid the turbulence of the Western Region crisis, he forged an alliance with Chief S.L. Akintola that gave birth to the NNDP–NCNC coalition government, in which Fani-Kayode was appointed Deputy Premier of the Western Region.

Chief D.K. Olumofin, a senior NCNC statesman and three-time parliamentarian, had served as the party’s Parliamentary Secretary before taking on new responsibilities in the coalition government.

He was appointed Minister of Education and Economic Planning, where he played a significant role in shaping educational policy during a defining period in the region’s political history.

Together, their presence at this school visit symbolized not only their shared commitment to governance but also the uneasy yet transformative alliances that shaped Nigeria’s First Republic.

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Born on 14 September 1943 in Ilorin, Kwara State, Tunde Idiagbon rose through the ranks of the Nigerian Army to become one of the most recognisable figures in the country’s political history. Trained at the Nigerian Military Training College and later at the Pakistan Military Academy, he built a reputation for discipline, loyalty, and firm leadership.

His career saw him serve in key command positions, including the Nigerian Civil War, before moving into administrative roles that highlighted his organisational skills. But his defining moment came on 31 December 1983, when General Muhammadu Buhari seized power in a coup. Idiagbon was appointed Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, making him the de facto deputy and one of the most powerful men in Nigeria.

As the face of the regime’s War Against Indiscipline (WAI), Idiagbon embodied the stern, uncompromising stance of the military government. He championed policies that enforced order, curbed corruption, and demanded accountability, though often through rigid and authoritarian means. For many Nigerians, his name became synonymous with discipline and fear.

The Buhari–Idiagbon regime was ousted in another coup on 27 August 1985, bringing his political career to an abrupt end. Idiagbon returned to Ilorin, where he lived a quieter life away from national politics until his death on 24 March 1999.

To this day, Tunde Idiagbon is remembered as a soldier’s soldier—respected, feared, and emblematic of an era where discipline ruled above all.

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