Gowon cancels reception for Wike, Akume, and others due to election litigations

General Yakubu Gowon (Rtd.), a distinguished statesman and former military head of state, has cancelled a scheduled banquet intended to honour several public office holders in the nation.

The original plan for the banquet of honour was to honour the contributions of notable individuals including Senator George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), state governors, and General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff. The event was set for Sunday, November 19, 2023.

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In a statement released on Wednesday and signed by Mr. Adakole Ijogi on behalf of the Planning Committee, Gowon claimed that the extended legal issues resulting from ongoing electoral litigations at the Court of Appeal had an impact on the decision to push back the event until early 2019.

The statement apologised for the situation and promised that a new time would be announced soon.

The text of the message says, “The Banquet of Honour Planning Committee would like to formally notify all honoured guests and dignitaries of the change in the banquet date to an earlier day in the upcoming year.”

“This is regrettably a result of the protracted legal issues that have still to be settled resulting from the elections.

“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused by the date change. We will promptly confirm a new date and extend our invitation to all dignitaries and guests.”