JUNE 12, 1993 ELECTION: FULL RESULTS

Since the 15^th anniversary of the landmark June 12, 1993 election just passed, I thought it was an opportune time to publish the full results of the election. On June 15, 1993 the National Electoral Commission (NEC) released the results from 14 states (including the Federal Capital Territory). The following day (June 16, 1993) the Abuja High Court ordered that further announcement of the results should be suspended. Here are the full results of the election:

STATE	NUMBER OF NRC VOTES	PERCENTAGE OF VOTES FOR NRC	NUMBER OF SDP VOTES	PERCENTAGE OF VOTES FOR SDP	TOTAL VOTES	WINNER
Abuja (FCT)*	18,313	47.84	19,968	52.16	256,500	ABIOLA
Abia*	151,227	58.96	105,273	41.04	334,490	TOFA
Adamawa	167,239	54.28	140,875	45.72	414,129	TOFA
Akwa Ibom*	199,342	48.14	214,787	51.86	371,288	ABIOLA
Anambra*	159,258	42.89	212,024	57.11	847,274	ABIOLA
Bauchi	524,836	60.73	339,339	39.27	406,132	TOFA
Benue	186,302	43.06	246,830	56.94	282,180	ABIOLA
Borno*	128,684	45.60	153,496	54.40	342,755	ABIOLA
Cross River	153,452	44.77	189,303	55.23	472,278	ABIOLA
Delta	145,001	30.70	327,277	69.30	308,979	ABIOLA
Edo*	103,572	33.52	205,407	66.48	427,190	ABIOLA
Enugu	284,050	51.91	263,101	48.09	349,902	TOFA
Imo	195,836	55.14	159,350	44.86	228,388	TOFA
Jigawa	89,836	39.33	138,552	60.67	726,573	ABIOLA
Kaduna*	356,860	47.80	389,713	52.20	324,428	ABIOLA
Kano*	154,809	47.72	169,619	52.28	442,176	ABIOLA
Katsina	271,077	61.30	171,162	38.70	286,974	TOFA
Kebbi	144,808	67.34	70,219	32.66	488,492	TOFA
Kogi*	265,732	54.40	222,760	45.60	352,479	TOFA
Kwara	80,209	22.78	272,270	77.24	1,033,397	ABIOLA
Lagos	149,432	14.46	883,865	85.54	357,787	ABIOLA
Niger*	221,437	61.90	136,350	38.10	484,971	TOFA
Ogun*	59,246	12.22	425,725	87.78	964,018	ABIOLA
Ondo	162,994	15.58	883,024	84.42	437,334	ABIOLA
Osun	72,068	16.48	365,266	83.52	641,799	ABIOLA
Oyo*	105,788	16.48	536,011	83.52	676,959	ABIOLA
Plateau*	259,394	38.32	417,565	61.68	1,026,824	ABIOLA
Rivers	640,973	63.37	370,578	36.63	469,986	TOFA
Sokoto	372,250	79.21	97,726	20.79	469,986	TOFA
Taraba	64,001	38.58	101,887	61.42	176,054	ABIOLA
Yobe	64,061	38.41	11,887	63.59	38,281	ABIOLA

*States in which results were released. The results were released in 14 states only.

Vote Breakdown and Analysis

Voter turnout was higher in the south than in the north. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Moshood Abiola received over 8 million votes, and won in 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The National Republican Convention (NRC) candidate Alhaji Bashir Tofa received over 6 million votes and won in 10 states only. Over 14 million people voted. Abiola won in Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Taraba, and Yobe states, and the Federal Capital Territory. Tofa won in Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Enugu, Imo, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Rivers and Sokoto States.

Abiola’s victory was comprehensive as he won almost 60% of the total votes cast. Only in two states (Kebbi and Sokoto) did Abiola fail to obtain at least one-third of the votes. Abiola even defeated Tofa in Tofa’s home state of Kano.

Voting Patterns

Although the voting pattern has subsequently been cast as unprecedented in cutting across ethnic, religious and geographic patterns, the true picture is a little more subtle. It is true that Christians voted for Muslim candidates. However Christians had little choice in the matter as the Presidential candidates of both parties were Muslim. The SDP was led by two Muslims: Abiola, and his Muslim vice-presidential candidate Babagana Kingibe. The NRC was also led by a Muslim candidate: Alhaji Bashir Tofa. Although Tofa’s running mate was Christian, both Tofa and Kingibe were Kanuri Muslims. Hence the concept of Christians voting for Muslims was an in-built certainty as any vote necessarily had to be for a Muslim since both presidential candidates were Muslim. Additionally, voting patterns in the south-west were solidly ethnic as the overwhelming majority of votes cast were for Abiola. In the south-west mainly Yoruba states of Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo, Abiola scored crushing victories, and received over 80% of the votes in each of those states. He also received over 85% of the votes in Lagos state.