@official_history_daily: General Sani Abacha's Takeover Speech In 1993 General Sanni Abacha seized power on November 17, 1993, overthrowing the interim government of Chief Ernest Shonekan. Shonekan's administration, established in August 1993, was a transitional government aimed at returning Nigeria to democratic rule after years of military rule. However, Abacha, who was the Defense Secretary at the time, led a bloodless coup that toppled Shonekan's government. Abacha then established the Provisional Ruling Council (PRC), which became the supreme ruling body in Nigeria. Abacha's regime lasted until his death in 1998, when General Abdulsalami Abubakar took over and initiated a transition program that led to the return of democratic rule in Nigeria in 1999. #Nigeria #History