Under whose regime was Nigeria suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations?

Analyze the question: It asks which Nigerian leader's government led to Nigeria's suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations.

Concept: The Commonwealth can suspend a member state for serious violations of its democratic and human rights principles, set out in the Harare Declaration of 1991. Nigeria was suspended once in the 1990s and once was threatened with other action in other eras, so the date matters.

Step-by-step solution:

1. Shonekan (1993): His Interim National Government lasted only about 3 months, and no suspension happened.
2. Babangida (1985-1993): He annulled the June 12, 1993 election, but Nigeria was not suspended from the Commonwealth under him.
3. Buhari (1984-1985): There was no suspension during his regime.
4. Obasanjo (1999-2007): Nigeria was readmitted to the Commonwealth in 1999 under his government, and Obasanjo's Nigeria was not suspended.
5. Abacha (1993-1998): In November 1995, General Sani Abacha's regime executed Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists. At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Auckland, New Zealand, Nigeria was suspended from the Commonwealth. The suspension was lifted in May 1999, after the return to civilian rule.

Answer: The suspension happened under Sani Abacha, which is option E.

Exam tip: Link "Commonwealth suspension" with "Ken Saro-Wiwa execution, 1995, Abacha." Also remember "readmitted, 1999, Abdulsalami Abubakar/Obasanjo transition." Pairing the suspension and the readmission together helps you with trick questions.