Moshood Abiola, June 12, and Nigeria's intricate journey to democratic rule General Sani Abacha receives Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (M.K.O.) Abiola at Aso Rock Villa in Abuja in 1994, during the turbulent political crisis that followed Nigeria's annulled June 1993 presidential election. Abiola, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), had secured victory in the presidential election of June 12, 1993, defeating Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC) in an election that transcended Nigeria's regional, ethnic and religious divides. Before the final declaration could be completed, however, the military...