The Republic

Chapter III · Power · Interregnum

Chief Ernest Shonekan

Head of the Interim National Government

← Every Government of the Republic
Tenure
26 August — 17 November 1993
Era
Interim National Government (1993)
Mode of entry
Installed by Babangida on departure
Mode of exit
Removed by Sani Abacha in the palace coup of 17 November 1993

83 days. The shortest tenure of any Nigerian Head of Government. The Lagos High Court (Akinsanya J., 10 November 1993) ruled the ING illegal; a week later Abacha removed Shonekan.

Chief Ernest Adegunle Oladeinde Shonekan (1936–2022), former Chairman of UAC of Nigeria, was head of the Transitional Council under Babangida's late-stage transition and was installed as ING Head on 26 August 1993. The ING had no constitutional basis — Decree 61 of 1993, which created it, was challenged before the Lagos High Court by Chief M.K.O. Abiola.

On 10 November 1993 Justice Dolapo Akinsanya ruled the ING illegal and declared Abiola the lawful winner of the June 12 election. Seven days later, on 17 November 1993, the Defence Minister General Sani Abacha called Shonekan to Aso Rock and informed him that the military was resuming direct power. Shonekan returned to private business and chaired the Honeywell Group.

Methodology

Tier 1 · primary

Courts. Gazettes. National archives.

Tier 2 · corroborating

OCCRP. HRW. BudgIT. TheCable.

Tier 4 · tertiary, flagged

Wikipedia only where primary is pending. Always labelled.