Obasanjo Almost Abandoned Second Term Over Coup Plot — Donald Duke Reveals

Former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, has revealed how the South African presidency became aware of an alleged possibility of a military coup in Nigeria ahead of the 2003 presidential election.

Duke made the disclosure in a forthcoming book titled How to Win Elections in Nigeria, authored by Seun Oloketuyi.

According to excerpts from the book, the intense political crisis surrounding the 2003 election attracted the attention of officials in South Africa.

Duke, who served as Cross River governor from 1999 to 2007, recounted the bitter political struggle between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his then deputy, Atiku Abubakar.

He recalled that Abdulkadir Kure, who was then governor of Niger State, received an unexpected telephone call from Bangumzi Sifingo, South Africa’s High Commissioner to Nigeria.

Sifingo reportedly told Kure that then-South African President Thabo Mbeki wanted to speak with him.

When Mbeki eventually called, Duke said the South African leader asked Kure whether it was true that Nigeria could experience a military coup if Obasanjo pursued and won a second term as president.

The question reportedly caught Kure off guard, prompting him to ask Mbeki about the source of the information.

According to Duke’s account, Mbeki disclosed where he had obtained the information.

Concerned by the development, Kure reportedly travelled to the Presidential Villa in Abuja to brief Obasanjo about the conversation.

Duke said the fact that the alleged coup concerns had reached the South African president demonstrated the extent to which Nigeria’s political crisis had attracted international attention.

He also recalled receiving a late-night telephone call from Obasanjo during the period.

According to Duke, Obasanjo was deeply frustrated by what he perceived as betrayal by his deputy, Atiku, and was at one point considering abandoning his ambition to seek a second term in office.