In a startling revelation, Chief Olu Falae, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and 1999 presidential candidate, has claimed that he was the true winner of Nigeria’s pivotal 1999 presidential election. During an interview on Arise TV’s Morning Show as part of Democracy Day observances, Falae disclosed that his late legal adviser, Chief J.O.K. Ajayi, had carefully analyzed the official election results and found that Falae had garnered over one million more votes than Olusegun Obasanjo.
Falae, who ran under the joint banner of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the All Peoples Party (APP), alleged that the declared results were manipulated to favor Obasanjo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). “I was told by my lawyer, the late Chief JOK Ajayi, that I won the election by over a million votes after a meticulous assessment of the figures declared,” Falae stated.
Despite his belief in having won, Falae chose not to challenge the election results in court, citing a commitment to ensuring a peaceful return to democracy after years of military dictatorship. “We were more concerned about the country returning to democracy peacefully after years of military rule,” he said.
Falae’s candidacy was intended to serve as a unifying force for the South-West region, especially in the aftermath of the controversial annulment of the 1993 election, which many believed was won by MKO Abiola. Both Falae and Obasanjo are Yoruba, but Obasanjo was widely perceived as the establishment’s preferred candidate. Reflecting on the political pressures of that era, Falae remarked, “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.”
