- Tenure
- 8 June 1998 — 29 May 1999
- Era
- Second Military Era (1983 — 1999)
- Mode of entry
- Sworn in by the PRC after Abacha's death
- Mode of exit
- Handed over to elected civilians on 29 May 1999
- Spouse
- Justice Fati Abubakar · 1998 — 1999
11-month transition. Released political prisoners. 1999 Constitution promulgated by Decree 24. Conducted the elections that produced the Fourth Republic.
General Abdulsalami Abubakar (b. 1942, Minna), Chief of Defence Staff under Abacha, was sworn in by the Provisional Ruling Council on 8 June 1998. He released most surviving political prisoners, opened negotiations with the international community to lift the Commonwealth and US sanctions, and scrapped Abacha's discredited self-succession transition within four weeks.
His new transition timetable produced local-government elections (December 1998), state and gubernatorial elections (January 1999), National Assembly elections (February 1999) and the presidential election of 27 February 1999 won by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. The 1999 Constitution was promulgated by Decree 24 on 5 May 1999 and came into force on 29 May 1999, the day of the handover.
Tier 1 · primary
Courts. Gazettes. National archives.
Tier 2 · corroborating
OCCRP. HRW. BudgIT. TheCable.
Tier 4 · tertiary, flagged
Wikipedia only where primary is pending. Always labelled.