Fact Check: Did Major Ifeajuna plot the 1966 Coup to install Chief Awolowo as prime minister?

The claim that Major Ifeajuna planned Nigeria’s 1966 coup to install Chief Awolowo as Prime Minister lacks evidence and historical support.

[dropcap]A[/dropcap] claim circulating among some revisionists suggests that Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna, a key figure in Nigeria’s 1966 coup, plotted the coup with the intention of installing Chief Obafemi Awolowo as Prime Minister.

This narrative, however, does not align with historical facts and is unsupported by evidence.

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The coup, which resulted in the deaths of Nigeria’s Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa and several high-ranking officials, was led by Major Ifeajuna and a group of other military officers.

Proponents of the theory that Ifeajuna intended to free Awolowo, who was imprisoned in Calabar for treason, argue that he aimed to elevate Awolowo to the position of Prime Minister.

However, historical records show no attempt by Ifeajuna to secure Awolowo’s release during the coup. No soldiers were dispatched to Calabar prison, nor were any calls made to arrange for his freedom.

Adding to the complexity of this claim is the fact that Major Ifeajuna hailed from the same village as Nigeria’s first President, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, a political rival of Awolowo.

Azikiwe played a pivotal role in Awolowo’s imprisonment after a treasonable felony trial.

Furthermore, Ifeajuna had close ties with Azikiwe’s family, casting doubt on the notion that he would conspire to elevate a political enemy of Azikiwe.

During the coup, President Azikiwe was on leave and had embarked on a Caribbean cruise, refusing to return to Nigeria after his official leave ended.

His prolonged absence raised suspicions that he might have been aware of the coup, though there is no concrete evidence to confirm this.

Notably, Azikiwe’s delay in returning led his ADC, Orho Obada, to abandon him in Haiti and return to Nigeria. These suspicions grew stronger when Haiti later provided support to Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War.

Ultimately, Chief Awolowo remained in Calabar prison until August 2, 1966, when he was released by Colonel Yakubu Gowon.

After his release, Awolowo was flown to Lagos and escorted to Dodan Barracks, where he met with Gowon. At no point during the coup did Ifeajuna or his co-conspirators make any effort to free him.

Additionally, in the aftermath of the coup, Nwafor Orizu, the Senate President and next in line after the Prime Minister’s death, assumed leadership temporarily.

Orizu, also from the Eastern Region, invited General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi to take over the government.

The ease with which power shifted to another Easterner, after the coup led by Ifeajuna (from Onitsha), and during the absence of Azikiwe (from Onitsha), raises further doubts about the Awolowo conspiracy theory.

The sequence of events appeared too neatly aligned to be coincidental, adding another layer of complexity to the coup’s political dynamics.

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In conclusion, there is no historical basis to support the claim that Major Ifeajuna plotted the 1966 coup to make Chief Obafemi Awolowo Prime Minister.

The lack of action to release Awolowo and Ifeajuna’s personal and political affiliations discredit this theory.