The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi has reacted to the backlash from his supporters over his birthday wishes to former military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon who clocked 90.
The former Anambra State Governor yesterday wished Gowon, who was Nigeria’s President during the civil war, and immediately under his post, many of Obi’s supporters, popularly called Obidients, attacked Mr. Peter Obi for daring to congratulate Gowon who they described as the enemy of Igbos
Following the intensity of the backlash from his Igbo support base, Peter Obi was forced to explain why he wished Gowon a happy birthday. In a lengthy post on his X handle, titled, “Why I Congratulated Gen. Gowon at 90”, Peter Obi acknowledged that he agrees that Gen. Gowon is the enemy but that he should be forgiven.
“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”, Obi stated.
“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”, Peter Obi remarked.
Peter Obi described Gowon the Chief Prosecutor of the 30 months civil and added that God Almighty must have a reason why he kept him alive up to 90 years.
“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”, Obi said.
Obi said that 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”, Obi explained.
“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”, Obi further explained.
Peter Obi concluded by appealing to his supporters angered by his greetings to Gen. Yakubu Gowon to bear with him.
“With these explanations, I like to admonish all those angered by my greetings to the elder statesman to bear with me and join me in this mission to create a country where hate, unforgiving spirit, and other vices will give way for justice”, he stated.