23-411: Abdulsalami Abubakar GCFR ( / ˌ ɑː b d əl s ə ˈ l æ m i ˌ ɑː b u ˈ b ɑː k ɑːr / ; born 13 June 1942) is a retired Nigerian army general who served as the military head of state of Nigeria from 1998 to 1999. He was also Chief of Defence Staff from 1997 to 1998. He succeeded General Sani Abacha upon the latter's death. During his leadership, Nigeria adopted
46-727: A modified version of the 1979 constitution, which provided for multiparty elections. He transferred power to president-elect Olusegun Obasanjo on 29 May 1999. He is the current Chairman of the National Peace Committee. Abubakar, an ethnic Hausa , was born on 13 June 1942 to Abubakar Jibrin and Fatikande Mohammed, in Minna , Niger State , Nigeria. From 1950 to 1956 he attended Minna Native Authority Primary school. From 1957 to 1962, he had his secondary school education at Government College, Bida, Niger State . From January to October 1963, he studied at Kaduna Technical College. Abubakar
69-593: A series of elections first for Local Government Areas in December 1998, then for State Assemblies and Governors, National Assemblies and finally for the President on 27 February 1999. Although efforts were made to ensure that the elections were free and fair, there were widespread irregularities that drew criticism from foreign observers. Surprising some critics of the country's military, in May 1999 General Abubakar handed over power to
92-583: Is a member of the pioneering sets of officer cadets who enlisted into the Nigerian Air force on 3 October 1963. From 1964- 1966, he was flown to Uetersen , West Germany with a team of officer cadets, for Basic and Advance Military Training. When he returned to Nigeria in 1966, he was seconded to the Nigerian Army . After joining the army in 1966 as an officer cadet, Abubakar attended the emergency combatant short service course two. In October 1967, Abubakar
115-546: The Nigerian Fourth Republic on 29 May 1999. To avoid splits along ethnic lines, Akpata stipulated that only parties with broad-based national support would be allowed to contest the elections. He ruled that political parties must win local government electoral seats in at least ten states to qualify for the gubernatorial, state assembly, national assembly and presidential elections. Of 26 political associations, he gave provisional registration as political parties for
138-750: The Supreme Court and the Chairman of the Senate are former officials Grand Commanders in the Order of the Niger . The Nigerians have followed the British example in the form and structure of the Order. There are also post-nominal letters for the members of the Order of the Niger. There is a Civil Division and a Military Division. The ribbon of the latter division has a small red line in
161-472: The 145 infantry battalion (NIBATT II), United Nations Interim force, Lebanon . In 1979 he was made assistant adjutant general 3rd Infantry division, Nigeria. From 1980 to 1982, Abubakar was chief instructor at the Nigerian Defence Academy . In 1982 he was appointed as the colonel of administration and quartering, 1st mechanised division. A position he held up until 1984. From 1985 to 1986, Abubakar
184-649: The 1998/1999 elections to only nine, with only three parties finally qualifying to compete in the State and National elections. This caused the formation of coalitions of smaller associations, such as the Group of 34 which formed the new People's Democratic Party (PDP). Coalitions had to become genuine parties. In January 1999 Akpata said that the electoral alliance announced between the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and All People's Party (APP) "appeared to contravene INEC rules". He said
207-660: The Devil Back to Hell . Abubakar also chaired the Commonwealth Observer Group to the Zimbabwe presidential election in 2002 , which concluded that "the conditions in Zimbabwe did not adequately allow for a free expression of will by the electors." Abubakar is married to Fati and they have six children together. Abudulsalami Abubakar has received several awards and medals. In alphabetical order they include: Order of
230-717: The Federal Republic The Order of the Federal Republic ( OFR ) is one of two orders of merit, established by the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1963. It is senior to the Order of the Niger . The highest honours are the Grand Commander in the Order of the Federal Republic and Grand Commander in the Order of the Niger and they are awarded to the President and vice-president respectively. The Presiding Judge in
253-714: The House, the PDP won 206 seats, the APP 74 and the AD 68. Elections were delayed due to security reasons in Akwa Ibom, Delta, Nasarawa and Rivers states. Akpata told a news conference that although generally fair, there had been some voting irregularities. In the 27 February 1999 presidential elections, the AD and APP fielded a joint candidate, Chief Olu Falae , who lost to the PDP candidate, former General and military ruler Olusegun Obasanjo . Obasanjo gained 63% of
SECTION 10
#1733085931576276-572: The dangerous journey across the front lines to visit him while he was held prisoner by the breakaway Biafran troops during the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970). Akpata became a justice of the Supreme court, retiring in 1993 at the age of 65. He was appointed to head the INEC in 1998 when General Abdulsalam Abubakar 's Administration established the INEC to organise the transitional elections that ushered in
299-399: The elections, former US President Jimmy Carter sent a letter to Akapata that said "There was a wide disparity between the number of voters observed at the polling stations and the final results that have been reported from several states. Regrettably, therefore, it is not possible for us to make an accurate judgment about the outcome of the presidential election." Olu Falae later alleged that
322-751: The middle. The order has four grades: Ephraim Akpata Ephraim Omorose Ibukun Akpata (15 April 1927 – 8 January 2000) was a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and the first chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Nigeria , responsible for the 1998/1999 elections that re-introduced democracy in May 1999. Ephraim Akpata was born in 1927 in Edo State . He attended King's College , Lagos and went on to study law. In his book 888 Days in Biafra , Samuel Enadeghe Umweni recollects how Lawyer Akpata twice made
345-471: The newly elected civilian president, Olusegun Obasanjo , and retired from the army. Abubakar's legacy is mixed. A lecture circuit at Chicago State University in Chicago, Illinois, United States featuring him encountered opposition, because he had supported Abacha's government. (Abacha's administration was notorious for its human rights abuses). He was also sued in that country by other Nigerians who claimed he
368-618: The seats. Elections for the Governorships were held in January 1999, with the PDP winning 19 out of 35 states, the APP winning 9 states and the AD winning 6 states. The elections were largely orderly and peaceful, and Akpata said they were free and fair. The elections for the House of Representatives and the Senate were held in February 1999. In the Senate the PDP won 59 seats, the APP 29 and the AD 20. In
391-412: The two parties wanted to "derive the benefits of a merger without going through with one". Akpata was critical of the process through which the PDP selected its candidates, saying it fell "short of the level of transparency expected from a democratic process." The INEC ran a series of elections. Local Government polls were held in December 1998, with the PDP winning 59%, the APP 25.8% and the AD 13.2% of
414-653: The votes. Akpata accepted foreign election monitors from the US-based Carter Center and the National Democratic Institute , and supported their request to train thousands of local observers. Reports from these groups on the earlier elections were generally favourable, although they noted low turn out and some irregularities. Reports on later elections were more critical, describing irregularities including inflated vote returns, ballot box stuffing, altered results, and disenfranchisement of voters. After
437-400: Was commissioned second lieutenant, infantry division, Nigerian army . From 1967 to 1968, Abubakar was general staff officer two, second garrison, and commanding officer, 92 infantry battalion from 1969 to 1974. Between 1974 and 1975, he was made brigade major, 7th infantry brigade. In 1975 he served as commanding officer, 84 infantry battalion. In 1978–1979, Abubakar was commanding officer for
460-518: Was named military President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria . Nigeria had been ruled by military leaders since Muhammadu Buhari seized power from Shehu Shagari in a 1983 coup. Although democratic elections had been held in 1993, they were annulled by General Ibrahim Babangida . Reported to have had an initial reluctance to accepting the position, Abubakar
483-460: Was responsible for the death of 1993 president-elect Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola , who died in custody after being prevented by the military from taking office, and for the violation of the rights of others during his administration. Abubakar helped in the Liberian peace movement by presiding over the 2003 peace talks between Charles Taylor and the opposing rebels. This is seen in the movie Pray
SECTION 20
#1733085931576506-417: Was sworn in as president on 9 June 1998 after the unexpected death of Abacha. He declared a weeklong period of national mourning. A few days after assuming office, Abubakar promised to hold elections within a year and transfer power to an elected president. He established the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), appointing former Supreme Court Justice Ephraim Akpata as chairman. The INEC held
529-487: Was the commander 3rd Mechanised Brigade. He served as the military secretary of the army, 1986–1988. Abubakar was made general officer commanding 1st mechanised division 1990–1991. Between 1991 and 1993, he was the principal staff officer, as the army chief of plan and policy, Defence Headquarters. From 1997 to 1998, General Sani Abacha appointed Abubakar as the Chief of Defence Staff . Upon Abacha's death on 8 June 1998, Abubakar
#575424