and Beko Ransome-Kuti were among those secretly tried and either sentenced to death or received lengthy prison sentences. Backlash from the international community resulted in lesser penalties - Yar'dua's death penalty and Obasanjo's life sentence were reduced. In October 1995, Abacha set a timeframe of three years to hand over power to a civilian government. Sani Abacha died on 8 June 1998; Abiola died a month later while in detention on 7 July 1998. Legacy In 2018 Muhammadu Buhari, now a civilian president of Nigeria under its Fourth Republic, declared 12 June – the date of the annulled 1993 election as the new date for the celebration of Democracy Day. The previous Democracy Day was 29 May, the date of the return to civilian rule in May 1999 following Abacha's regime. References Further reading Gani Fawehinmi, The Illegality of Shonekan's Government: Lagos, Nigeria Law Publications. 1993. T. Olagunju and S. Oyovbaire (eds), Portrait of a New Nigeria: Selected Speeches of IBB: London, Precision Press. 1989. African Association of Political Science, The State and Democracy in Africa: Print Holdings, Harare, Zimbabwe. 1997. Nigeria 1993 in Nigeria Presidential elections in Nigeria Annulled elections June 1993 events in Nigeria Election and referendum articles with incomplete results