It’s false to say military wrote 1999 constitution, Abdulsalami

Former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar has refuted claims that Nigeria's 1999 Constitution was a military creation. He asserted that the document is largely a re-adoption of the 1979 Constitution, which was drafted by 49 civilian legal experts without military involvement.

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At the inauguration of the CDCC on 11 November 1998, I raised several contentious issues in the Draft 1995 Constitution and mandated them to come up with fresh ideas.

Abubakar's revelations, detailed in his autobiography 'Call of Duty,' stem from his decision upon taking office in 1998 to establish a 25-member Constitution Debate Co-ordinating Committee. This committee, chaired by Justice Niki Tobi, was tasked with gauging national opinion on General Sani Abacha's 1995 Draft Constitution, not to write a new one. The committee found that Nigerians overwhelmingly rejected Abacha's draft.

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I need to reemphasise here that their job was not to write a new Constitution but to coordinate a debate on the draft. I have heard many critics say the Niki Tobi Committee was set up to write a new Constitution. That is absolutely false.

Justice Tobi's committee reported a national consensus favoring the 1979 Constitution, with amendments drawn from the 1995 draft. This recommendation was submitted to the Provisional Ruling Council. Abubakar acknowledged that the idea of reverting to the 1979 Constitution was a welcome development after the widespread opposition to Abacha's proposed text.

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In the light of the memoranda and the oral presentation on the 1995 Draft Constitution, it is clear that Nigerians basically opt for the 1979 Constitution with relevant amendments.