Constitution drafting and Constituent Assembly

In 1977, General Olusegun Obasanjo's military government established a Constitution Drafting Committee of 50 members to create a new constitution for Nigeria's planned return to civilian rule. The committee, chaired by Chief Rotimi Williams, included lawyers, academics, traditional rulers, and representatives from across Nigeria's regions. After extensive deliberations, they produced a draft constitution that was then debated by a 232-member Constituent Assembly, which met from 1977 to 1978 to review and modify the proposed document.

This constitutional process emerged from the military's promise to return Nigeria to democratic governance after years of military rule that began in 1966. The devastating civil war (1967-1970) and subsequent military governments under Yakubu Gowon and Murtala Mohammed had highlighted the need for a new constitutional framework that could better manage Nigeria's ethnic and regional diversity. The military leadership recognized that a legitimate transition required broad civilian participation in crafting the rules for the new democratic system.