Although the new Nigerian leader had stayed in the background and shunned politics, he was the first to officially in form the nation Tuesday of Abacha's death. His broadcast will be a pointer to the way he wants to move the nation forward,'' added the analyst, who declined to be named. Abubakar's ascension to Nigeria's top political post also is seen as a step to bring stability to a fluid political situation in Africa's most populous nation. The polls were widely believed to have been won by Moshood Abiola, who was jailed after proclaiming himself president on the first anniversary of the election, and later charged with treason. At the time of Abacha's death, the ailing Abiola was still in prison.
Nothing stops the government from reaching out and engaging the political class in dialogue.
Nigeria is not in short supply of men and women of conscience,'' he said, calling on the new military leader to get the transition to civilian rule back on track. That transition process was to have culminated in the swearing in in October of an elected civilian president. However, earlier this year, all five of Nigeria's registered political parties endorsed Abacha, making him the sole candidate for the presidency in the transition process even though his rule was marked by a series of human rights and political abuses that gained the West African nation international notoriety. During Abacha's reign, any attempts to press for a return to democracy were dealt with severely and scores of unionists, human rights and political activists and journalists are in jail. A university professor interviewed Tuesday told IPS that it was ''too premature to make any comments'' on Abubakar's appointment. ''Anything can happen,'' he said.