Tinubu's Ex-Spokesman, Onoh, Blasts Dalung Over Mutfwang's Apology To Ndigbo, Cites World Precedents

The Chairman of the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly and former Southeast Campaign Spokesman for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Denge.Josef Onoh, has strongly commended Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, for his recent apology to the Igbo community. 

In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, on Saturday, Onoh described the Governor’s gesture as the "highest zenith of statesmanlike maturity, structural healing, and visionary leadership."

Educates Dalung on Political Reconciliation

In the same breath, Onoh countered and rebuked former Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, over his criticism of the Governor's peace initiative. Dismantling an unconstitutional 72-hour ultimatum issued by Dalung to the Governor, Onoh declared that the former minister's "regressive rhetoric is entirely incompatible with the building of a modern, united Nigeria."

Onoh emphasized that Governor Mutfwang’s historic apology breaks decades of toxic institutional silence without diminishing the memory of Plateau veterans. Instead, he argued, it elevates the state and guarantees the Governor the political support of the majority of Igbos residing in Plateau State ahead of the 2027 elections.

"An apology is the foundational step required to transition a post-conflict society from latent animosity into active structural healing," Onoh stated, adding that Dalung failed to grasp that as the constitutionally elected executive head of Plateau State, Governor Mutfwang possesses the complete moral, legal, and political mandate to act as the chief custodian of the state's collective conscience.

Onoh Praised Mutfwang for acknowledging that local indigenes were cajoled or misled into a fratricidal war by military elites, Onoh stated that the act does not disrespect dead relatives. Rather, it liberates their memory from serving as historical shields for ongoing systemic bigotry—an act of distinguished statesmanship he claimed Dalung is incapable of understanding.

To educate the former minister on how great nations are built when courageous leaders confront dark historical chapters, Onoh cited global precedents:

* German Chancellor Willy Brandt who in 1970 famously fell to his knees at the Warsaw Ghetto (the Warschauer Kniefall), issuing a monumental apology for WWII atrocities, which laid the bedrock for European reconciliation.

* Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a formal state apology in parliament to the Italian-Canadian community for their systemic internment during World War II, correcting state-sponsored discrimination without invalidating Canadian veterans.

* Australiain Prime Minister Kevin Rudd issued an emotional, historic national apology to the "Stolen Generations" of Indigenous Australians for decades of forced assimilation, unifying the nation rather than tearing it apart.

Onoh dismissed Dalung’s 72-hour ultimatum to the Governor as an exercise completely devoid of common sense, democratic decorum, or legal standing.

"Mr. Dalung is a private citizen, regardless of his former ministerial appointment, and cannot issue authoritative ultimatums to a sovereign, elected state executive Governor who carries the mandate of millions," Onoh asserted.

He further accused Dalung of trying to gatekeep history using personal loss while simultaneously invalidating the catastrophic generational loss, state-sanctioned starvation, and systematic marginalization endured by Ndigbo during and after the civil war.

Onoh tagged the former minister's actions as a textbook tactic used by "conflict entrepreneurs" to weaponize tribal sentiments for political relevance at a time when Plateau State faces grave modern security challenges.

No Place for Genocidal Mindsets

Warning that the younger generation of Nigerians has no room for regressive chauvinism, Onoh stated that Dalung’s venomous reaction proves his mindset remains trapped in the dark era of 1967.

"By actively fighting against a hand extended in peace, his rhetoric becomes indistinguishable from the ideological architects of ethnic cleansing and genocide who still carry unrepentant blood on their hands," Onoh noted. He maintained that individuals who oppose reconciliation and weaponize historical wounds are the ultimate voices of destruction and have no role in modern nation-building.

Onoh concluded by stating that the world has moved past the politics of primitive tribal superiority and eternal malice, affirming that Nigeria will continue to march forward toward unity, equity, and mutual respect.