May 25, 2026
Gowon
By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA— Former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon has revealed how influential northern politicians, businessmen and establishment figures persuaded him to join Nigeria’s fiercely contested 1992 presidential race during the transition programme of former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, a political journey that ended in intimidation, isolation and defeat at the grassroots.
The account, contained in Gowon’s autobiography, ‘My Life of Duty & Allegiance’, offers fresh insight into the intrigues, religious tensions and power struggles that shaped Nigeria’s troubled return to civil rule and fuelled long-standing suspicions that the military establishment was reluctant to fully surrender power.
