Abdulsalami: We Chose 1979 Constitution to Prevent Military Hawks From Delaying Democracy
Former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), has revealed that Nigeria adopted the 1979 Constitution in 1999 as a strategic decision to prevent “military hawks” from prolonging military rule under the guise of constitutional reform.
In his autobiography Call of Duty, Abdulsalami disclosed that following the death of Gen. Sani Abacha in 1998, he was faced with several options on how to transition the country back to civilian rule. He noted that some senior military officers were not eager to relinquish power and preferred extending the transition process.
He explained that one option was to continue with Abacha’s transition programme, which could have led to elections and a handover by October 1998. However, he said the process was widely discredited, with the five political parties lacking credibility and being perceived as instruments of the late dictator’s administration.
Another option, he said, was to start a fresh constitutional process, which would have required setting up a new conference and could have kept the military in power for up to three more years. Abdulsalami added that this option risked emboldening officers who were unwilling to exit governance and could have triggered instability or even a coup.
He also dismissed proposals such as a government of national unity, a sovereign national conference, or an interim arrangement, describing them as impractical or potentially destabilising. Ultimately, he said, the decision to adopt the 1979 Constitution; modified with recommendations from a 25-member Constitution Debate Co-ordinating Committee chaired by Justice Niki Tobi offered the fastest and most stable path to civilian rule, culminating in the handover of power to President Olusegun Obasanjo on May 29, 1999.