Introduction

In the history of the Nigerian politics, the Northern political leaders have seen the Yorùbá people as their political rivals and an obstacle to their political ambition to continue the domination of Nigeria. The aim of this study is to examine the power struggle between the Yorùbá people and the other ethnic groups, especially the northerners in the Nigerian political equation, and offer a critical evaluation and analysis of the emergence of geo-ethno-military clique, and their northern political class, better known as the Kaduna Mafia and the denial of Chief M. K. O. Abiọla's presidency of 1993. Abiọla was the winner of June 12, 1993, Presidential election in Nigeria. The conduct and manner of collation of results of this election still remain superior to the presidential elections of 1979, 1983, 1999, and 2003; hence June 12, 1993, is dubbed by most analysts as the only free, fair, and credible presidential election in the nation's history. One of the reasons why Chief Abiọla was denied this election was because he was from Yorùbá ethnic group, which the northern leaders have seen as their major political rival in Nigeria.