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How Nigerians voted in the 1999 presidential election

When Nigeria made a long-awaited and proper return to democracy in 1999, after 16 years in the wilderness of military rule, two candidates stepped forward to lead the country.
Olusegun Obasanjo and Olu Falae contested in the 1999 presidential election
Olusegun Obasanjo and Olu Falae contested in the 1999 presidential election

Olusegun Obasanjo, fresh from prison where a recently-deceased General Sani Abacha had locked him up, won the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). 

On the other side of the aisle, Olu Falae, also fresh from prison where Abacha had locked him up, ran on the joint ticket of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the All People's Party (APP).

For the 1999 presidential election, 57.9 million Nigerians registered to vote, but only 30.3 million (52.3%) voted, with 431,611 of them invalid.

This is how Nigerians voted in each state.

Abia

Falae — 175,095 (32.7%)       

Obasanjo — 360,823 (67.3%)

Adamawa

Falae — 177,868 (21%)

Obasanjo — 667,239 (78.9%)

Akwa Ibom

Falae — 152,534 (17.3%) 

Obasanjo — 730,744 (82.7%)

Anambra

Falae — 199,461 (23.9%)       

Obasanjo — 633,717 (76.1%)

Bauchi

Falae — 342,233 (29.1%) 

Obasanjo — 834,309 (70.9%)

Bayelsa

Falae — 152,220 (24.4%)

Obasanjo — 457,812 (75%)

Benue

Falae — 269,045 (21.5%) 

Obasanjo — 983,912 (78.5%)     

Borno

Falae — 334,593 (36.5%) 

Obasanjo — 581,382 (63.5%)

Cross River

Falae — 283,468 32.2%)    

Obasanjo — 592,688 (67.3%)

Delta

Falae — 240,334 (29.4%) 

Obasanjo — 576,230 (70.7%)     

Ebonyi         

Falae — 94,934 (27.4%)

Obasanjo — 250,987 (72.6%)

Edo 

Falae — 163,203 (24%)

Obasanjo — 516,581 (76%)

Ekiti

Falae — 522,072 (73.1%)

Obasanjo — 191,618 (26.8%)        

Enugu

Falae — 195,168 (23.4%) 

Obasanjo 640,418 (76.6%)

FCT

Falae — 39,788 (40.2%)

Obasanjo — 59,234 (59.8%)

Gombe 

Falae — 311,381 (36.9%)      

Obasanjo — 533,158 (63.1%)

Imo

Falae — 314,339 (42.7%)

Obasanjo — 421,767 (57.3%)

Jigawa

Falae — 237,025 (43.2%) 

Obasanjo — 311,571 (56.8%)

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Kaduna

Falae — 381,350 (22.7%) 

Obasanjo — 1,294,679 (77.2%) 

Kano

Falae — 222,458 (24.6%)

Obasanjo — 682,255 (75.4%) 

Katsina

Falae — 229,181 (19.2%) 

Obasanjo — 964,216 (86.8%) 

Kebbi

Falae — 172,336 (33.6%)

Obasanjo — 339,893 (66.4%)

Kogi

Falae — 476,807 (48.4%)

Obasanjo — 507,903 (51.6%) 

Kwara

Falae — 189,088 (28.7%)

Obasanjo — 470,510 (71.3%)

Lagos

Falae — 1,542,969 (88.1%)

Obasanjo — 209,012 (11.9%)

Nasarawa

Falae — 173,277 (29%) 

Obasanjo — 423,731 (71%)

Niger

Falae — 140,465 (16.2%)

Obasanjo — 730,665 (83.9%)

Ondo

Falae — 668,474 (85%) 

Obasanjo — 133,323 (15%) 

Ogun

Falae — 332,340 (69.8%)

Obasanjo — 143,564 (30.2%) 

Osun

Falae — 607,628 (76.5%) 

Obasanjo — 187,011 (23.5%)

Oyo

Falae — 693,510 (75.3%) 

Obasanjo — 227,688 (24.7%)

Plateau 

Falae — 173,370 (25.8%) 

Obasanjo — 499,072 (74.2%)

Rivers

Falae — 213,328 (13.6%) 

Obasanjo — 1,352,275 (86.4%)

Sokoto

Falae — 198,829 (56.1%) 

Obasanjo — 155,598 (43.9%)

Taraba

Falae — 81,290 (9.3%)

Obasanjo — 789,749 (90.7%)   

Yobe

Falae — 165,061 (53%)

Obasanjo — 146,517 (47%) 

Zamfara

Falae — 243,755 (64.1%) 

Obasanjo — 136,324 (35.9%)

Total

Falae — 11,110,287 (37.2%)

Obasanjo — 18,738,154 (62.8%) — Winner

*Data sourced from Electoral Geography due to the absence of verified data from INEC.

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