How TY Danjuma forced Olusegun Obasanjo to become head of state against his wish.

How TY Danjuma forced Olusegun Obasanjo to become head of state against his wish.

After General Murtala Muhammed was assassinated in the 1976 coup attempt, Olusegun Obasanjo went into hiding until the coup collapsed. When he returned to Dodan Barracks, he told T.Y. Danjuma and Inspector General M.D. Yusuf that he no longer trusted the Army and wanted to retire after the funeral. He even planned to name Danjuma as Murtala’s successor.
Danjuma refused, calling it desertion, and insisted Obasanjo must remain as Head of State since he was second-in-command. Danjuma also warned that if Obasanjo quit, the country might slip into dangerous religious conflict, because some northern leaders were already portraying Dimka’s coup as a “Christian coup.”
To prevent tension between North and South, Danjuma argued that the new Chief of Staff should come from the North. His two candidates were Buhari and Shehu Yar’Adua. Danjuma rejected Buhari for being too rigid and not suited for political compromise, and chose Shehu Yar’Adua instead.
At the Supreme Military Council meeting the next day, Obasanjo again tried to resign, but Danjuma overruled all objections and insisted he must stay. Despite some dissent from Air Force Chief Isa Doko and others who preferred Danjuma, Danjuma stood firm.
In the end, Danjuma forced Obasanjo to remain as Head of State, and imposed Shehu Yar’Adua as his deputy.