El-Rufai, June 12 And Abacha Woken From The Dead -By Festus Adedayo

Succession politics in Nigerian states has always been chaotic and a deadly battle. It seems to have taken its cue from coups de’tat planned by military despots. Nigeria’s earliest encounter with succession politics was self-succession bids of military rulers. And it happened on October 1, 1974. On that day, Yakubu Gowon, who emerged Nigeria’s military leader after the July, 1966 coup which ousted the first military regime, said the handover date to civilians he earlier offered was unrealistic.