‎Former Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon (retd.) has warned that Nigeria’s political class must urgently address the desperation that drives what he described as “do-or-die politicking.”

‎He also warned against the persistent failure to conduct free and fair elections even at the intra-party level, declaring that despite all the nation’s challenges, he remains confident that Nigeria will not collapse.

‎Gowon made the remarks in Abuja at the launch of his 859-page autobiography, ‘My Life of Duty and Allegiance,’.

The former Head of State said, “We all must rise to contain the desperation frequently accepted by the political class who engage in what they love to call do-or-die politicking and their inability to conduct free, fair and transparent elections, even in matters as minor as intraparty elections, which has continued to plague our nation from colonial times.

‎Gowon said each time he reflected on his years of service, he found renewed conviction that Nigeria was capable of realising its potential as the giant of Africa, adding that the country’s survival even through the civil war, was evidence of its fundamental resilience.

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