Bashir Tofa, a prominent politician and presidential candidate of the National Republican Convention (NRC) in the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, has died.

Tofa, died aged 74 at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano State, in the early hours of January 3, after a brief illness.

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EARLY LIFE

The late politician was born on June 20, 1947, in the ancient city of Kano. Between 1962 and 1966, he had his primary school education at Shauchi Junior Primary School and City Senior Primary School before attending Provincial College, all in Kano, for his secondary school education. He also attended City of London College for his tertiary education between 1970 and 1973.

TOFA AS A POLITICIAN

Tofa joined Nigeria’s mainstream politics in 1976 when he became a councilor at the Dawakin Tofa Local Government Council, Kano.

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During the second republic, Tofa was a prominent member of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) for many years. He joined the NRC in 1990 and rose to become its presidential candidate in the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

Tofa lost to MKO Abiola, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), even in his native Kano, in what many political analysts called the freest, fairest and most transparent election ever conducted in Nigeria.

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However, the election result was annulled by the then Ibrahim Babangida military administration. No clear reasons were given for the annulment till Abiola died in July 1998.

When asked for his opinion after the Muhammadu Buhari administration made June 12 Nigeria’s Democracy Day in Abiola’s honour, Tofa simply said, ‘May God Help Nigeria’.

Following his death on Monday, funeral prayers were held at his residence in Gandun Albasa, Kano, where he was laid to rest.