African history is not yet mainstream and we're on a mission to change this. The Republic is a miniseries covering key events and figures in African history. Our first season focuses on 'June 12', the most controversial election in Nigeria's history.

In June 1993, after a keenly contested election, presidential candidate, Moshood Kashimawo Olawale ‘M. K. O.’ Abiola, secured popular votes enough to become Nigeria's next president. In the weeks that followed, the military government under General Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) announced that the election had been annulled.

This decision, which spurred a series of events that culminated in the arrest and eventual death of M. K. O. Abiola, forever shaped the future of Nigeria’s democracy. Thirty years on, June 12 no longer feels inanimate. Why was it such a pivotal moment, what did it feel like to experience it and why has it remained engrained in Nigeria’s political consciousness?

In the first season of The Republic, host Wale Lawal traces the significance of the June 12 1993 election, 30 years on. You’ll hear about life in Nigeria under IBB's regime, the political rise of M. K. O. Abiola, the eventual election and sudden annulment, and the prolonged implications of June 12 for Nigeria’s democracy.

Learn more about The Republic at republic.com.ng/podcasts