The former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), has revealed that General Sani Abacha pressured him to accept the position of Chief of Army Staff during the events that followed the November 1993 military coup.
He made the disclosure in his autobiography, where he detailed how he initially rejected the appointment twice, insisting he did not want to be used in political manoeuvring within the military following the overthrow of the Interim National Government.
According to him, Abacha, who later became Head of State, eventually persuaded him during a private meeting after earlier attempts to involve him in the unfolding power transition.
Abdulsalami recounted that he was initially unaware of the full extent of the coup planning and only became gradually exposed to developments through conversations with senior military officers at the time.
He also described tensions and confusion within the military hierarchy during the period, including shifting decisions about senior appointments and retirement lists affecting top officers.
Although he was at one point informed that he would be retired from service, Abdulsalami said he later learned through unofficial channels that he had instead been appointed Chief of Defence Staff, the highest military position at the time.
The former leader noted that his relationship with Abacha dated back to their early military and school days, where they interacted both as colleagues and sporting rivals before rising through the ranks of the Nigerian Army.
He added that the events highlighted the instability and uncertainty that characterised Nigeria’s military transition period in the early 1990s.
