After Civil War Our Leaders Under Shagari Gave S/E VP Slot To Show They Forgave Each Other

In an interview with Nigeria Right Now, Rabiu Kwankwaso, former Governor of Kano, stated that northern leaders took steps to reconcile with southeast leaders after the Nigerian Civil War

Kwankwaso said the civil war ended in 1970. He stated that northern leaders deliberately chose a vice presidential candidate from the southeast to run alongside NPN presidential candidate, Shehu Shagari, in the 1979 presidential election as a way of showing that Northerners and Southeasterners had forgiven each other

Kwankwaso said Shagari won the presidential election with a Southeasterner as his running mate and they also won re-election in 1983 before their government was overthrown by the military

In Kwankwaso’s words: “Civil War ended in 1970, by 1979 our leaders from the north under Shehu Shagari decided to invite southeast to take the vice presidential slot just to show that they have forgiven themselves. And I am happy that they won elections