Former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), has revealed that he personally advised former President Olusegun Obasanjo not to contest Nigeria’s 1999 presidential election after regaining his freedom from prison.

The retired General said his counsel was based on the difficult experience Obasanjo had endured under the late Gen. Sani Abacha’s administration.

According to him, he believed the former military ruler should focus on rebuilding his life instead of returning to the political scene.

The disclosure is contained in Abdulsalami’s autobiography, Call of Duty, which was unveiled in Abuja during activities marking his 84th birthday. The book offers fresh details about the transition from military rule to democracy and the events that shaped the birth of the Fourth Republic.

Abdulsalami explained that shortly after Obasanjo was released from detention in 1998, the former leader visited him to discuss two major issues. One was his plan to institute legal action against the Federal Government over his imprisonment, while the other was the pressure from the Peoples Democratic Party to enter the presidential race.

The former military leader said he discouraged Obasanjo from taking the government to court, arguing that the legal process could drag on for years without certainty.

“I was forthright with him. One, I advised him that he should not take the government to court because it might not augur well.

“For one, he would not know how long it would take the court to give judgment. I told him that, as a government, we would try to see what could be done about his business in the form of compensation.

“The court process was uncertain, I told him. I tried to dissuade him from pursuing the litigation option, and he agreed with me.”

Abdulsalami also said he was equally direct about Obasanjo’s political ambition.

“On the invitation by the PDP that he should run in the presidential race, I advised him to return home and thank God that he was still alive after all he had gone through in four years. I told him point-blank that he should forget about contesting to be President.

“He took a deep sigh and said he was going to think about it and revert. He never got back to me. He can confirm this encounter.”

Despite Obasanjo’s eventual emergence as President in 1999, Abdulsalami insisted that his administration neither endorsed nor sponsored his candidacy.

According to him, claims that the military government deliberately prepared the path for Obasanjo’s victory are incorrect.

He maintained that his government only carried out a broad policy of releasing political detainees and granting pardons without favouring any individual.

“I tell people till today that my administration had nothing to do with the presidential ambition of General Obasanjo.

“It may be hard to believe, but we did not endorse him, and we did not work for him. It was a conjecture.”

He further noted that many political prisoners regained their freedom during the transition period, adding that Obasanjo’s case attracted more attention simply because he later became President.

The former Head of State acknowledged that some retired military officers and influential Nigerians reportedly worked behind the scenes to encourage Obasanjo to contest. However, he stressed that those efforts were private initiatives and not official government policy.

The autobiography also sheds light on the political calculations that shaped Nigeria’s return to civilian rule. Abdulsalami disclosed that his administration adjusted the guidelines for political party registration to ensure the Alliance for Democracy was not excluded from the democratic process.

According to him, the decision was taken to prevent the South-West from feeling isolated at a sensitive period in the country’s history.

“We had to apply some wisdom and flexibility. As projected, the AD eventually didn’t meet the criteria for the registration of political parties. We tinkered with the rules and said any party that came third would be registered. That was how AD scaled through.”

He said the objective was to promote fairness, national unity and stability as the country prepared to end years of military rule.

The retired General also explained why the handover to an elected government eventually took place in May 1999 instead of October 1998, saying the judiciary requested enough time to resolve election-related disputes before inauguration.

He added that he resisted pressure from some military colleagues, foreign leaders and even members of the pro-democracy movement who wanted the transition timetable extended.

According to him, he never considered remaining in office because Nigeria was under enormous pressure and the military had to leave power.

“For me, I was not in any way tempted to stay longer in office. I had made up my mind. By the time I took over the reins of power, the country was on the edge.

“Nigeria was at a breaking point. The military needed to relinquish power.”

Nevertheless, Abdulsalami said he had no regrets about handing over power and was satisfied that his administration helped restore stability and democratic governance to the country.