Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has come under attack following his celebratory message to former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, on his 90th birthday anniversary.
In a post shared on his X page, Obi praised Gowon, saying, “In a time of hate, you stood for love. At a time of strife, you stood for peace. At a time of division, you stood for unity. Your life of service to our great nation, Nigeria, stands as one of sacrifice, leadership, and unity.”
He went on to pray for his legacy and called for unity among Nigerians, including the South East (Biafrans), who are demanding freedom.
His post did not sit well with many who criticized him for his heartfelt wishes for Gowon, who was responsible for the genocide where over five million Igbos were killed.
Simon Ekpa, the self-proclaimed Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic in Exile, shared a video where Obi called himself a Nigerian. Obi said, “I’m a Nigerian. God created me a Nigerian. He could have made me an American, Japanese, or British. But he made me a Nigerian, and I will want to live and die as a Nigerian.”
Captioning the video, Ekpa wrote, “Nigeria will definitely happen to you, and it will not be long. Just as you are proudly confessing it, those following you will also talk like they usually talk when Nigeria happens to others,” Ekpa wrote.
Other Nigerians also took to his comment section to berate the former Anambra State Governor over his decision to celebrate Gowon.
Following the backlash, Peter Obi explained his reasons for sending a message to Gowon on his birthday celebration.
He wrote, “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.
“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.
“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, who is General Gowon, alive to be 90 years today and the man who saw the end of the war, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, to be there at 87 years, super-heading all the moves to see a reconciled and just Nigeria.
“There was also a developing new spirit why the same country, Nigeria, gave the Biafra leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, a heroic national burial on 2 March 2012, when he joined his ancestors, coincidentally under my tenure as Governor of Anambra State.
“The status of the burial given to Dim Ojukwu remains the boldest indication to the world that Nigeria as a country is disposed to moving forward in the spirit of reconciliation.
“There are various ways human beings can respond to acts of evil, especially one that claimed millions of lives. One is the tragedy of revenge, and another offers the hope of forgiveness in an attempt to forget.
“The latter conforms neatly with the template I adopted in greeting Gen Gowon at 90 years old. In all my dealings with human beings, I try to be guided by my faith as a Christian in a strong message preached by Jesus Christ himself and underscored in reflections in St Paul’s letter to the Colossians 3:13: “Bear with each other and forgive one another: if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
“And to Ephesians 4:31-32, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” Whatever reason I will give for joining the rest of Nigerians to greet General Gowon, May never truly conform with some persons, especially direct victims of the war, but anger, hurt, and bitterness are the commonest responses to cruelty.
“It fuels sectarianism, it leads to resistance and avoidable blood feuds that we are witnessing across the globe, and even in our country and it does not abate. There is something about forgiveness, it sets the person doing it free.
“Forgiveness is more a process than an instinct. It’s hate that has put our society, blessed by God to be the greatest land in the black World, down, but this hate has to stop.
“I was under ten years old when the Nigeria/Biafra war started in 1967. Most of my supporters across the country joining me get a new Nigeria were born after the war, and I didn’t feel I should drag them back to the dark side of our history by being unforgiving.
“I feel such an act will derail the message of a New Nigeria that we insist is POssible. ‘Must you greet him? Why didn’t you keep quiet?’ some angrily say to me, but that will still be injurious to our journey to a new Nigeria where all political vices, including but not limited to ethnic, religious, bitterness, and regional segregation, are eliminated.
“Various personal experiences of victims of injustice across the globe who have chosen to put ugly things behind them visibly demonstrate the transformative power of forgiveness in healing personal and collective wounds,” he wrote on his official X handle on Sunday.
Below are some reactions from social media users.
Hello @PeterObi. Thank you for showing us your true colours. The good PEOPLE of Biafra will definitely not try to repaint those colours.
— Christopher Okenwa (@OCCPriceless) October 19, 2024
This is part what you wrote to Gowon, who is actually a war crimimal: "May your legacy continue to guide us as we strive to build a more… pic.twitter.com/qXlOfNkHXV
Obi could have wished Gowon a happy birthday with fewer words than all he wrote here.
— Urhobo Water (@XOghre) October 19, 2024
There was no need to be insensitive to the sentiments of the average Igbo man about Gowon.
The name “Gowon” hits the nerve of an Igbo man, anytime.
That, said, I see the intention of Obi here…
Isn’t this the reason MNK despises Peter Obi?
— Olufunmilola (@rusticfunmi) October 19, 2024
Peter Obi has always been a One-Nigerianist.. though I expected him to read the room & display some tact here.
With due respect my President, I disagree. His regime was the reason history was abolished from Nigerian schools which shows how bad of a leader he was. Regime he never wanted to be on record.
— Chima Echefule (@Chimacoeche) October 19, 2024
I never see him as a leader and will never see him as one.
Everyday I am learning something new from you sir.
— Vindicated Chidi (@Vindicatedchidi) October 20, 2024
I am really learning.... Cos I know this one will hard me to do oo
Your Kind is very RARE!!!!
Sir I disagree with you on this. Godwin has to apologise for the massacre and genocide he committed in the East in conjunction with the British
— Eze Ndi Imo🇦🇺🇳🇬 (@Ehidonye_Ebuka) October 19, 2024
As an Igbo person who deeply understands the pain and trauma inflicted on our people during the Biafran War, it is truly disheartening to read this message coming from Peter Obi, someone who should know better.
— Nkechi First (@nkechi_first) October 19, 2024
While I respect the need for civility, let’s not rewrite history.…
TINUBU will never do this to his People.
— Bitcoin Chief (AKA OMA JI EGO) (@gaiuschibueze) October 19, 2024
Buhari will never do this.
Atiku is more intelligent than this.
