Gowon Opens Up on Northern Officers' Suspicion of Ojukwu in 1966 Coup
Former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon (retd.) has revealed that northern military officers believed the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu was complicit in the January 1966 coup d'etat and wanted to move against him. Gowon, who ruled Nigeria from July 1966 to July 1975, presented his memoir, 'My Life of Duty and Allegiance', in Abuja on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
According to excerpts from the memoir, northern officers suspected Ojukwu had knowledge of the coup that killed key northern leaders, including Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Premier of the Northern Region Ahmadu Bello, Premier of the Western Region Ladoke Akintola, and Finance Minister Festus Okotie-Eboh. Brigadier Zakariya Maimalari, the most senior military officer from the north, was also killed along with many other northerners in the military.
The failed coup led to Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi becoming head of state, but he was killed in a counter-coup in July 1966. Gowon, then a lieutenant colonel and army chief, was made head of state after the counter-coup led by northern officers.
Ojukwu's Rejection of Gowon's Leadership
Ojukwu, then governor of the Eastern region, refused to accept Gowon's leadership, insisting that Brigadier Babafemi Ogundipe, the most senior army officer, should have been appointed. Gowon wrote that Ojukwu refused his offer of friendship and wilfully refused to recognise his leadership, feeling that seniority protocol should have been upheld.
Gowon added that he pre-empted any attempt to move against Ojukwu because of his respect for all regional governors and because he saw Ojukwu as a colleague. Despite his reservations, Gowon retained Ojukwu as governor of the east. However, Ojukwu later declared the secession of Biafra in May 1967, leading to a 30-month civil war that ended in January 1970.
Gowon on Obasanjo's Refusal to Serve Under Murtala
In the memoir, Gowon also revealed that a young Olusegun Obasanjo flatly refused to serve under Colonel Murtala Muhammed during the civil war, declaring he would never take orders from his junior. Gowon resolved the confrontation by invoking his authority as commander-in-chief and forcing Obasanjo to stand down, later serving as Obasanjo's personal guardian angel through the war and beyond.
The revelations are contained in Chapter 14 of Gowon's 859-page autobiography, titled 'No Going Back'. Gowon wrote that Obasanjo believed he was more senior and should not be expected to serve under his junior. However, Gowon stood his ground, stating that as commander-in-chief, he reserved the right to send people where they could be most useful to the country.
