Former Nigerian Leader, Ernest Shonekan, Has Died

Shonekan worked as a lawyer, businessman, and CEO of the United African Company of Nigeria Plc before he was appointed as interim president of Nigeria by General Ibrahim Babangida in 1993 after the annulment of the 12 June presidential election.

Shonekan was not part of any known political party. According to the New York Times, Shonekan’s commitment to democratic rule was questioned by political opposition, including MKO’s Social Democratic Party because of his silence and consent in General Babangida’s decision to annul Nigeria’s first multiparty presidential elections in nearly a decade. Although Shonekan tried to schedule another presidential election and return Nigeria to democratic rule, his transitional administration only lasted three months, as a coup, led by General Sani Abacha, dismantled the remaining democratic institutions and brought the government back under military control.