Abiola was born on August 14, 1937 and passed away under suspicious circumstances on July 7, 1998. A popular Ogun businessman, publisher, and politician of the Egba clan, he is often referred to as MKO Abiola.

He ran for the presidency in 1993 and was widely regarded as the presumed winner of the election, which was annulled by former military head of state, General Ibrahim Babangida.

Some southwest states had been celebrating June 12 as a public holiday and are holding ceremonies in Abiola’s honour until Buhari officially declared the day as Nigeria’s real democracy day. The former president, on Monday, June 10, 2018, signed the Public Holiday Amendment Bill into law.

The law, according to the former president’s ex-senior special assistant on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, allows a public holiday to be declared on June 12 every year, while May 29 is to be a handing-over date.

In a statement announcing the death, Bala described the late emir as a father, mentor and traditional ruler whose life was devoted to the service of his people and humanity.

“With profound sorrow and total submission to the will of Almighty Allah, I announce the passing of my beloved father, namesake and traditional ruler, His Royal Highness Alhaji Ahmad Tijjani Ibn Saleh, the Emir of Gazargamu, who returned to his Creator today, June 9, 2026, in Cairo, Egypt, after a protracted illness,” he said.

He said the late emir’s life was marked by wisdom, humility, courage and unwavering dedication to the service of his people.

“His fatherly guidance, leadership and legacy will remain a source of inspiration to us all,” he added.

Bala prayed to Allah to forgive the late monarch’s shortcomings and grant him Al-Jannatul Firdaus; and give the family and the entire emirate strength and patience to bear the painful loss.

As of the time of filing this report, details of the burial arrangements were yet to be announced, while it remained unclear whether the late emir would be buried in Nigeria or in Egypt.

Prof. Amupitan noted that the court, in the SDP judgment, acknowledged the importance of a comprehensive timetable, stating that “an election timetable, without date for submission of parties’ membership register, timeframe for primaries, etc. is inchoate. Without this timetable, there would be chaos in our electoral system.”

“While the Commission remains fully respectful of the decisions of the Courts and of the judicial process generally, these judgments raise important legal questions concerning the extent of the Commission’s constitutional and statutory powers in coordinating and regulating electoral activities,” he said.

The INEC chairman stressed that the election timetable is built around a series of interdependent processes designed to ensure the orderly, transparent and successful conduct of elections.

He explained that although the Electoral Act prescribes timelines for some activities, several critical electoral processes are not assigned specific statutory deadlines and must therefore be accommodated within the Commission’s broader election calendar.

Among the activities listed by the Commission are the submission and verification of party membership registers, monitoring of party primaries nationwide, uploading of primary election results to INEC’s portal, candidate nomination processes, printing of ballot papers and result sheets, quality assurance procedures, deployment of election materials, training of electoral personnel, voter education campaigns, procurement of sensitive materials, configuration of BVAS machines, and compliance with statutory requirements such as allowing political parties to inspect electoral materials under Section 42 of the Electoral Act, 2026.

“The Commission therefore considers it imperative that all electoral activities be harmonised within a coherent and workable framework that promotes certainty, transparency, administrative efficiency and equal treatment of all political parties,” Amupitan stated.

He assured political parties and the Nigerian public that despite the pending appeals, INEC remains committed to conducting the 2027 General Election in strict compliance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act and all valid court rulings.

The chairman also announced that on June 26, 2026, the Commission would provide all political parties with official access codes to its Candidate Nomination Portal, enabling authorised national officers to upload the names, personal details and other required information of nominated candidates.

He warned that the nomination portal is fully automated and will automatically shut down once the stipulated deadline expires.