The Night Democracy Fell: Shagari’s Account Of Power’s Transfer To Ironsi
A Summons at Dusk
ON the evening of 16 January 1966, as Muslims across Nigeria prepared to break their Ramadan fast, an urgent message summoned federal ministers to the Cabinet Office in Lagos. Among those present was future president Shehu Shagari, then a senior member of Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa’s government.
The country was in turmoil following a military mutiny that had claimed the lives of leading political and military figures. By 6:30 p.m., the atmosphere inside the Cabinet chamber was tense and uncertain.
Present in the room were Major-General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, Bukar Dipcharima and Ibrahim Tanko Galadima. Notably absent were civil servants and aides. According to Shagari’s memoir, Beckoned to Serve, what unfolded that night marked the end of Nigeria’s First Republic.
“The Rebellion Was Getting Out of Hand”
Ironsi reportedly told the ministers he had been unable to fully suppress the rebellion. The situation, he said, was slipping beyond control. Emotional and visibly shaken, he admitted reluctance to assume power but insisted that pressure from within the army was mounting.
When reminded of Britain’s earlier pledge of military assistance to Nigeria, Ironsi responded that it was too late. The army, he explained, was already pressing him to step in.
According to Shagari, Ironsi argued that temporarily handing over authority to the military would avert greater disaster. Faced with what they perceived as limited options, cabinet members agreed.
A Handwritten Transfer of Power
In a striking detail that underscores the abruptness of the transition, Shagari recalled that no official stationery was available to document the decision. Government offices were locked, and staff were absent.
Alhaji A.G.F. Abdulrazaq, then Minister of State for Railways, reportedly found a scrap of paper. On it, a brief statement was drafted and endorsed by those present. That handwritten note became the basis of what was described publicly as the government’s “voluntary” transfer of power.
It was agreed that the statement would later be typed and signed formally. Ministers were told to return home and await further instructions.
Shagari wrote that he finally broke his fast at about 9:30 p.m. — hours after the meeting that would redefine Nigeria’s political future.
Broadcast to the Nation
Close to midnight, Senate President Nwafor Orizu addressed the nation, announcing the cabinet’s decision to hand over power to the armed forces. Shortly thereafter, Ironsi delivered his own broadcast, formally accepting what he termed an “invitation.”
With those announcements, Nigeria’s first democratic experiment came to an end. Although the mutiny itself had largely subsided, military rule had begun.
The End of the First Republic
Historians have since debated whether the transfer was truly voluntary or the product of overwhelming military pressure. Shagari’s account presents it as a decision made under duress — a calculated attempt to prevent further bloodshed.
The January 1966 coup marked a turning point in Nigeria’s political evolution, ushering in years of intermittent military rule that would shape the nation’s governance for decades.
For Shagari, who would later return to lead the country as a civilian president, that night remained a defining memory: the moment when constitutional order yielded to the force of arms.
