Shares untold story of Nigeria’s democratic turning point
Former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), has revealed that a powerful clique of military officers operating around the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, repeatedly sought the removal of some senior officers from government and at one point marked him and three other generals for retirement and political isolation.
  
For a man who once wielded the immense powers of Nigeria’s military presidency, Abubakar’s most enduring legacy may not be the authority he exercised, but the power he willingly relinquished.
  
Nearly three decades after Nigeria’s return to democratic rule, many of the defining events of that turbulent era remain caught between history and controversy.
  
Abubakar disclosed that he personally advised Abacha to dismantle the group, which he described as an influential “kitchen cabinet” that often shaped government decisions outside formal channels.
  
The former military leader made the revelations in his autobiography, Call of Duty, unveiled on Saturday alongside two companion volumes, Nigeria’s Grand Patriot and Mediating for Peace in Africa, during celebrations marking his 84th birthday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
  
The event attracted a distinguished gathering, including President Bola Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima; former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon, who chaired the occasion; and former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan.
  
In the memoir, Abubakar offers one of the most detailed insider accounts yet of the workings of the Abacha administration, describing how a small group of influential officers wielded enormous power behind the scenes.
  
According to him, the group repeatedly pressured Abacha to retire certain senior military officers, including himself.
  
“To be fair, General Abacha was loyal to his friends,” Abubakar wrote. “A caucus that sprang up when he became Head of State didn’t want to see some faces around and often insisted that some officers be retired.”
  
He identified those targeted as Lt-Gen. Jeremiah Useni, Lt-Gen. Garba Duba, Maj-Gen. Mohammed Haladu and himself.
  
“All the time, four of us who were slated for retirement survived because Abacha was devoted to friendship. Ironically, all those hawks were retired before us. They became a pain in Abacha’s neck, and he had to get rid of them,” he stated.
  
Abubakar, who served as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) under Abacha, said he eventually confronted the late ruler over the influence of the clique.
  
“In one of our conversations, I told him that he needed to disband the group of officers that formed the clique around him,” he recalled.

“He initially wanted me to talk to them and ask them to be careful, but I refused and insisted that he should be the one to speak to them. Finally, one by one, he retired them from the military.”
  
The former Head of State also disclosed that some members of the group wanted former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) arrested.
  
Abacha, according to him, rejected the proposal after asking what offence Babangida had committed.
  
“They said charges could always be found after his arrest,” Abubakar revealed.
  
He also shed fresh light on efforts by senior members of the regime to persuade Abacha to release the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, Moshood Abiola.
  
Abubakar said many officials appealed to the military ruler to engage Abiola directly and seek a political solution to the crisis triggered by the annulled election.
  
“We asked him to release Abiola from detention and to discuss with him one-on-one the way forward,” he wrote.
  
However, he said Abacha rejected the advice. “Abacha did not give our advice any positive consideration.”
  
Abubakar acknowledged that despite disagreements within government, ultimate authority rested with the Head of State.
  
“No matter what I say, I cannot deny that I was his CDS and a member of the Provisional Ruling Council (PRC). But the final decision was the Head of State’s to make,” he said.
  
The former military ruler further claimed that many critical decisions during the Abacha years were taken outside formal government structures. Although the PRC met regularly, he said some matters had already been decided by members of the informal inner circle before reaching the council.
  
He also said reports linking the late ruler to massive offshore assets came as a surprise to him because the Abacha he knew was meticulous about accountability and prudent in government spending.
  
According to him, it was only in the final days of his own administration in 1999 that he was shown documents detailing transfers linked to Abacha’s family and associates.
  
Abubakar said he was subsequently informed that the funds had allegedly been moved abroad as a contingency measure against possible international sanctions.
  
He dismissed allegations that he received $500 million in cash after Abacha’s death, describing the claim as entirely fictitious.
   
“I want to put it on record that nobody gave me $500 million or any amount, bigger or smaller,” he stated.
   
The denial forms part of a broader effort by the former military ruler to set the record straight on a period that continues to generate speculation and competing narratives.
  
His tenure as Head of State lasted less than a year. Yet within those few months, Nigeria witnessed the dismantling of military rule, the restoration of democratic governance, and the birth of the Fourth Republic.
  
For many speakers at the event, that remains the defining measure of his legacy.
  
In a country where leaders are often remembered for the power they accumulated, Abdulsalami is remembered largely for the power he surrendered.

Twenty-seven years after handing over to a civilian government, the former military ruler remains a pivotal figure in Nigeria’s democratic story, not because he seized power, but because he chose to let it go.