*Awolowo refused to join coup,said he preferred dying on hospital bed than through bullet,he claims

* Explains how Joseph Tarka foiled plot

*Alex Ekwueme was not NPN’s choice as Shagari’s VP, he says

By Joseph Erunke

ABUJA–NIGERIA’s Second Republic ambassador to Cote D’Ivoire,Denis Ukume,has revealed that General Olusegun Obasanjo had informed Alhaji Shehu Shagari that his inauguration as first civilian president following his victory in the August 11,1979 presidential election would be preceded by coup by a group of soldiers loyal to General Iliya Bisalla, earlier executed over complicity in a coup.

He also said Dr Alex Ekwueme was not the choice of the National Party of Nigeria,NPN,as vice presidential candidate to Alhaji Shehu Shagari, revealing that the baton fell on Ekwueme after the party’s preferred candidate,Chief Ralph Nwuechue,an old boy of St.John’s College,Kaduna,and prominent Ibo personality, declined the offer on account of his father’s terminal illness at the time.

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Ukume said Obasanjo communicated Shagari through the Federal Electoral Commission,FEDECO Chairman, Chief Michael Ani,that security report had indicated that a possible coup was to be staged ahead of Shagari’s inauguration.

According to him, Obasanjo hinged his allegation on security report which he claimed to have received as Head of State after the election and subsequent declaration of Shagari as president-elect by FEDECO.

But he claimed that a statement made by the former Minister of Communication and NPN chieftain, Joseph Tarka,at a meeting the party convened ahead of the inauguration prevented the coup plotters from going ahead. He, however, did not mention the statement made by the late politician.

Ukume’s claims were contained in his published 76-paged book,titled:”OSOFINCO-The brief untold story of Late Senator Tarka”,which he launched alongside three others in Abuja.

In the letter by Obasanjo,Ukume claimed the late sage,Obafemi Awolowo,was implicated in the planned coup. But he said the late first premier of Western Region declined to participate in the coup allegedly spearheaded by late Dr Waziri Ibrahim,who had contested the presidential election alongside Shehu Shagari.

These claims were found in chapter six of the published book which he captioned :”Shehu Shagari’s inauguration:Head of State Obasanjo warn Shagari of coup plot,Tarka saves the day.”

It read:”As the country waited anxiously but patiently for the inauguration of President-Elect Shehu Shagari,no one paid any undue attention to the messenger who had arrived at the NPN Secretariat with a letter from Chief Michael Ani, FEDECO Chairman, addressed to Shehu Shagari,the president-elect.

“The president-elect called me into his office and handed me a single-sheet, handwritten document, warning that it was confidential and should be in treated as such. I should make a photocopy,just one photocopy and return it to him immediately. The copying machine at the secretariat had broken down,so I went to the nearest commercial centre.

“Several customers were milling around when I got there. I offered the machine attendant N2,000 and he ordered everyone out of the room. The first copy did not come out well but the second did.

“I picked up the copy and the soiled one and went straight to Shagari. Handed back the original and the clean copy to him and kept the soiled one. The messenger left almost immediately with the letter he had brought. I returned to my office and decided to read the content of the soiled copy. Because the president-elect  had warned about the confidential nature of the note,I dared not spend even a minute in perusing it.

“I was petrified as I quickly read the document and shredded it. Not a word to any of my colleagues,who would be amazed when they read this book.

“FEDECO Chairman, Chief Michael Ani had attached his own note addressed to Shagari informing him that the document had come from Head of State Obasanjo with instruction to be forwarded to him for information. And that it should be returned to his office. He explained that the document was based on a security report.

“The document stated that a meeting was convened by the late Dr Waziri Ibrahim who had contested the presidential election alongside Shehu Shagari. Chief Obafemi Awolowo and others attended the meeting.

“Waziri explained at the meeting that he was part of a group of 5,000 soldiers in the Nigerian Army who were calling themselves, the “Bisalla Group.”

“Their mission was to avenge the killing of General Bisalla. They vowed that the inauguration of Shagari would not take place as they had planned to disrupt it. Dr Waziri Ibrahim was reported in the document as inviting Chief Awolowo to join them.

“Calling Dr Waziri “my friend”, as reported in the document, Awolowo refused outright to be part of the plan, instead he pleaded with Dr Waziri to discontinue the planned evil act. When Dr Waziri pressed further,Chief Awolowo was adamant. He would rather die on a hospital bed than through the bullet of a gun,he was quoted as saying.”

Recalling however that,”Dr Waziri Ibrahim preached politics without bitterness throughout his electioneering campaigns”,Amb. Ukume noted that:”Shagari’s inauguration, however,went smoothly without untoward incident.”

Ukume further said:” A private inauguration dinner was hosted that evening by the veritable elder statesman,Chief Oni Anyaru of blessed memory memory at his residence in Victoria Island,Lagos. A schoolmate and friend, the late General Jallo,the Chief of Staff, Nigerian Army and my good friend, Senator Mahmud Waziri of blessed memory both called me aside at separate moments to appreciate Senator J.S.Tarka for saving Nigeria. It was what Senator Tarka had said, they both explained,that had derailed the planned coup d’etat.

“I quickly went up to Senator Tarka who also attended the party to whisper to him the gossip that was circulating the hall. He was apparently quite oblivious of what he was reported to have said,and humorously asked me to remind him about it.”

How Ekwueme emerged Shagari’s vice presidential running mate:

Hear him:”The NPN was gearing up to embark on a nation-wide electioneering campaign,and a search for a suitable vice presidential candidate preferably of mid-westerrn Ibo extraction had began in earnest.

“Several prominent Ibo personalities including the late Chuba Okadigbo,and K.O. Mbadiwe touted as suitable candidate did not meet that criteria.

“Tarka walked into my office at the NPN National Secretariat one morning,and the name that came readily to his mind was Chief Ralph Nwuechue,an old boy of St. John’s College, Kaduna, and prominent Ibo personality. He said I should called Ralph Nwuechue immediately. He spoke with him. Ralph Nwuechue expressed great delight at being considered for the elevated position of vice president of Nigeria. But he regretted he would not accept the offer. His father,he explained,was terminally ill with cancer,and he needed time to spend with him,he stated.

“At that point,the late Chief Francis Mordi,a friend and Tarka’s political aide,and I reminded Tarka of the humble architect Chief Alex Ekwueme who lived in London. The federal government accepted his architectural designs for the construction of colleges of education buildings throughout the country.

“Tarka spoke briefly with Alex Ekwueme,and several weeks later,he was invited to Lagos,and was confirmed as the vice presidential candidate of the NPN.”