The 1993 general election had been judged as the best in Nigeria, yet it was inconclusive because

Analyze the question: The question is about the June 12, 1993 presidential election in Nigeria. It asks why that election, widely judged the freest and fairest in the country's history, was still "inconclusive."

Key facts:

• The election was held on 12 June 1993 under the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida.
• The two candidates were M.K.O. Abiola (Social Democratic Party, SDP) and Bashir Tofa (National Republican Convention, NRC).
• It was conducted by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) under Professor Humphrey Nwosu. It was peaceful and credible, with an open-ballot (Option A4) system, and Abiola was widely seen to be winning.
• Before NEC could announce the final result, a court order obtained by a group (the Association for a Better Nigeria) tried to stop the announcement. Then, on 23 June 1993, Babangida's government annulled the election.
• This led to political crisis, the Interim National Government under Ernest Shonekan, and then the takeover by General Sani Abacha.

Evaluate the options:

• A. Widely rigged: Wrong. The election was judged the best and fairest.
• B. Produced no winner: Not accurate. The results announced by NEC showed Abiola leading. The problem was that the process was halted.
• C. A candidate resigned: Wrong. No candidate withdrew.
• D. The election result was annulled: Correct. The military government nullified the election, so it never reached a conclusion with a declared winner and a handover.
• E. The result was inconclusive when announced: Wrong. Results were being released, and the announcement was stopped, not inconclusive in content.

Answer: D. The election was free and fair, but it remained inconclusive because the Babangida regime annulled the result.

Exam tip: Remember "June 12 = Annulled." Whenever you see 1993 elections in Nigerian Government questions, think: best election, but annulled by Babangida, which led to Abiola's struggle and Abacha's takeover.