Former military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, has stated that he supported late President Shehu Shagari’s decision to pardon Emeka Ojukwu, the man who led Biafra during the civil war. He said Ojukwu had been charged with treason for fighting against Nigeria.
Speaking in a coverage by ESET TV, Gowon revealed that Shagari wanted to pardon him too after he was accused of being involved in the plot that led to General Murtala Mohammed’s death and was charged with treason. He said he refused the pardon because he believed he had done nothing wrong. He said that in Nigeria, when someone accepts a pardon, people often assume that person is guilty. He stated that this was why he rejected it.
In Gowon’s words: “But I said ‘yes you can pardon Ojukwu because we charged Ojukwu for treason for fighting against Nigeria’. So I said that should be quite alright, I told President Shagari that and if he can do that it will help his political campaign”
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