The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, has called on Nigerians, particularly his supporters, to reject hate and bitterness, asserting that such sentiments have no place in the nation’s future.
Obi’s appeal came in response to criticisms regarding his birthday greetings to former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd), who celebrated his 90th birthday over the weekend.
Obi was among several prominent Nigerians, including President Bola Tinubu and former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, Muhammadu Buhari, and former Military President General Ibrahim Babangida (retd), who paid tribute to Gowon. Gowon served as Nigeria’s military ruler during the 30-month civil war, a conflict that resulted in the deaths of over one million Nigerians, primarily ethnic Igbos.
Following his greetings, Obi faced backlash on social media from victims of the civil war, who felt he should not have honored someone they believe should not be celebrated.
In a lengthy tweet titled “Why I Congratulated Gen. Gowon at 90,” posted on his verified X account, Obi stated: “My felicitation with Nigeria’s former Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, on his 90th birthday anniversary, which was celebrated by a cross-section of Nigerians, has been received with mixed feelings by some Nigerians, and some have expressed their sentiments publicly and privately to me.”
He continued, “I share in some of them and I feel that as a leader in the vanguard of providing direction for our country to shift base away from all our shortcomings, including the issues that caused our avoidable cruel civil war, I needed to show to the world that the ultimate heroism is forgiving the enemy and moving forward.”
Obi emphasized the profound impact of Nigeria’s civil war, stating, “Indisputably, the darkest part of our 64-year journey as a nation is the 30 months of civil war from 1967 to 1970, and God Almighty, whose way is not our way, must have a reason why He kept the chief prosecutor of the war, General Gowon, alive to be 90 years today.” He also mentioned the reconciliation efforts led by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who witnessed the end of the war.
He highlighted the evolving spirit of reconciliation in Nigeria, referencing the national burial of Biafra leader Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu on March 2, 2012, which occurred during his tenure as governor of Anambra State.