Former Nigerian head of state Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar has revealed that senior military officers were consumed by a bitter succession struggle following the sudden death of Gen. Sani Abacha in June 1998, alleging that some members of the regime’s inner circle were more concerned with securing power than organising the late ruler’s burial.
In his newly launched autobiography, Call of Duty, Abdulsalami also sought to dispel decades of speculation surrounding Abacha’s death, maintaining that the military ruler died of a heart attack rather than from poisoning, as widely rumoured at the time.
The revelations are among the most striking passages in the 264-page memoir unveiled on Saturday in Abuja during events marking Abdulsalami’s 84th birthday. The occasion, attended by senior political and military figures, included the public presentation of three books celebrating the former leader’s life and legacy.
Abacha, who seized power in November 1993 following the political turmoil that followed the annulment of the June 12 presidential election, died suddenly on 8 June 1998 after nearly five years in office. His death triggered one of the most consequential transitions in Nigeria’s modern history, eventually paving the way for the country’s return to democratic rule.
According to Abdulsalami, confusion and intrigue engulfed the highest levels of government immediately after Abacha’s death. He claimed that influential figures within what he described as the regime’s “inner caucus” had already begun manoeuvring to determine the next head of state before key members of the Provisional Ruling Council had even been informed of the leader’s death.
“It then occurred to me that all along, some of those we met at the Presidential Villa, the so-called ‘inner caucus’, were not even involved in preparations for the burial,” he wrote.
“They were more interested in who was going to be the next Head of State.”
Abdulsalami alleged that plans were being made to exclude both himself and the then Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Ishaya Bamaiyi, from the succession process, with efforts under way to install an alternative candidate.
The former ruler recounted presiding over a tense meeting of the Provisional Ruling Council after Abacha’s death, describing discussions that became increasingly dominated by the question of succession.
According to him, disagreements intensified to the point where some participants questioned why deliberations over a successor were taking precedence over preparations for Abacha’s burial in accordance with Islamic tradition.
The trip to Kano for the burial, he claimed, was later revealed to be part of a broader political calculation.
“We did not sleep that night,” he wrote. “Little did we know that the burial was just a decoy to perfect whatever they had up their sleeves.”
While senior officers travelled to Kano, Abdulsalami alleged, members of the inner caucus were attempting to finalise plans to swear in Admiral Mike Akhigbe, then Chief of Naval Staff, as the next head of state.
The eventual decision, however, was settled through a vote involving military commanders and members of the ruling council.
“I won the vote,” Abdulsalami wrote. “That was how I became the 11th Nigerian Head of State.”
The memoir also offers a detailed account of the final hours before Abacha’s death became public knowledge.
Abdulsalami said he had initially expected to be informed of his retirement from military service after 35 years and had received an early morning call suggesting a major announcement was imminent.
Instead, he was summoned to the Presidential Villa, where events quickly took an unexpected turn.
Arriving in casual clothing after being told the matter was urgent, he said he was directed to a waiting room at the presidential residence, where he was later joined by Bamaiyi.
The two men waited for nearly an hour without explanation.
“As I was climbing the stairs, Abacha said I should stay in the waiting room,” he recalled. “Something kept telling me that something was wrong but I could not place a finger on it.”
He later discovered that the room had been locked from the outside without their knowledge.
The mystery ended only when the then Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Coomassie, entered and instructed them to follow him.
It was at that point, Abdulsalami said, that he was informed that Abacha was dead.
“I was shocked,” he wrote. “I asked him what happened and he insisted we proceed first.”
The former ruler described viewing Abacha’s body and being confronted with the reality of a development that would reshape Nigeria’s political future.
He also recalled hurried consultations among senior officials, including then Chief Justice of Nigeria Muhammadu Uwais and senior government figures, on how to manage the transition and prevent a constitutional vacuum.
According to Abdulsalami, the chief justice advised that a successor be appointed before the news was formally announced to the public.
Saturday’s event, themed The Legacy of a Statesman @84, drew a host of prominent dignitaries. President Bola Tinubu was represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, while former South African president Thabo Mbeki delivered a keynote address on democratic transition and peacebuilding in Africa.
The programme also featured the unveiling of the Abdulsalami Abubakar African Resource Centre and tributes from former leaders and diplomats who credited the former military ruler with overseeing Nigeria’s transition from military rule to democracy following Abacha’s death.
