Former Military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida has revealed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo initially opted to retire from the Army rather than succeed Murtala Muhammed as Head of State following the failed 1976 coup.
Papers News reports that in his autobiography, A Journey in Service, Babangida recounts the events that unfolded after Lieutenant-Colonel Bukar Dimka led a group of mutineers in an attempt to overthrow Murtala’s government, resulting in the assassination of the Head of State.
According to Babangida, the Supreme Military Council (SMC) convened the next day to decide on a successor, with discussions centering on Lieutenant-Generals Obasanjo and Theophilus Danjuma, who were the most senior officers at the time. While the initial preference was for Danjuma, he declined and instead recommended Obasanjo, Murtala’s deputy, to take over.