Word: abubakar
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General Abdulsalam Abubakar's nine-month timetable for a transition to military rule is good news for both the country's military rulers and their civilian opposition. "The sudden death of both General Sani Abacha and Moshood Abiola left all sides in disarray," says TIME reporter Clive Mutiso. "It turned the military's planned election -- in which Abacha was the only candidate -- into a referendum over whether a dead man should rule the country. But it also left the opposition without a clear alternative...
...disbanding Abacha's discredited electoral machinery, releasing hundreds of political detainees and declaring that an elected government would take over on May 29, 1999, Abubakar has made a gesture of good faith that should quell demands for an immediate handover to a government of national unity. "More important," says Mutiso, "it allows Abubakar to keep control while the military decides whether to field its own candidate. But the nine-month timetable also gives the opposition time to get organized before an election." In other words, Abubakar's time-out will allow both sides to catch their breath...
...died because his illnesses had gone untreated while he was in detention. A Lagos newspaper suggested absurdly that the American diplomats meeting Abiola had slipped something into his tea. In what is sure to be a vain attempt to quell the inflammatory rumors, the latest military boss, General Abdulsalam Abubakar, 56, called in a team of British, American and Canadian pathologists to perform an autopsy...
Despite all that, there is reason for optimism about Nigeria's future. Abubakar seems to mean what he says about restoring democracy. He has released a group of political prisoners and promises to free the rest. There is enormous pressure on the military to relinquish its grip so that new elections can be held before the end of the year. And, of course, miracles do happen. Nigerians need look no further than the transformation of Moshood Abiola from a fixer into their country's new symbol of democracy for indisputable proof of that...
Nigeria's military ruler has laid his cards on the table: He'll hand over the reins of power to an elected civilian government next May. Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar announced Monday night that an elected government would take over on May 29, 1999, replacing the discredited political and electoral machinery established by his predecessor, General Sani Abacha. "The handover to civilian rule has been the key demand of the opposition," says TIME reporter Clive Mutiso. "Indications had been that the military planned to indefinitely postpone the transition, and opposition groups weren't going to stand for that." If they believe...