“My Emergence As Head Of State Was Not By Seniority – General Gowon

By Ayodele Oni 

General Yakubu Gowon has revealed in his autobiography that serious power play happened during his ascension to the seat of Nigeria’s military Head of State.

According to him, Joseph Wey, a Commodore, and Adeyinka Adebayo, a Colonel, were senior to him and got promoted to major-general and later full-star general within one year.

“The case of Brigadier Babafemi Ogundipe was, however, not as straight forward because the course of the coup had made it obvious that he could no longer function effectively in the command-and-control structure of the Nigerian Army and the Armed Forces.

“With the concurrence of the UK government, he was appointed Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the UK,” Gowon wrote.

“Ojukwu refused my offer of friendship. By extension, he wilfully refused to recognise my leadership. 

“He felt that the ‘normal’ protocol of seniority in service should have been upheld in selecting General Ironsi’s successor under the new administration, regardless of the circumstances by which I assumed power. 

“Admiral Wey effectively persuaded former Supreme Military Council members to take cognisance of the situation and support my leadership, highlighting my ability to command respect from junior officers and my willingness to lead during a difficult time.”

Gowon did not believe Ojukwu was supporting Ogundipe or defending the army hierarchy for altruistic reasons.

He wrote: “Left unsaid at the time was Ojukwu’s strong view that I was junior to him in the hierarchy. 

“He failed to appreciate that he had been under serious threat because the young Northern officers believed he was complicit in the January 15, 1966 coup.

 “I pre-empted any attempt to move against him, in part, because of my respect for all the Regional Governors and, more importantly, because I saw him primarily as a colleague and officer with whom I thought I had worked to restore normalcy in those early days of uncertainty. 

“I believed that, together, we could rebuild the army and allow the country to continue its course in history.”