Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) on Tuesday revealed that he would have been on the helicopter which crashed with former Kaduna State Governor Patrick Yakowa and former National Security Adviser, General Andrew Azazi on Saturday in Bayelsa State.
General Gowon made this disclosure in Kafanchan during the 50th birthday celebrations of Apostle Emmanuel Nuhu Kure, the founder of Throneroom Ministry in Kafanchan. He said he was almost to board the ill-fated helicopter when another one was made available for himself and five others which necessitated a change of plans.
“We were with the aide of the President to pay our condolences and they started arranging a Naval helicopter to take us to Yenagoa with Yakowa. But another helicopter was arranged for me and five others. And that was it.
“So when I heard about this incident, I was really pained. And I want to say, well, you can never tell with some of these things. It was an accident. Meanings should not be read into it.
Don’t say that it is plan to get rid of some people or something like that,” he told journalists.
“These were nice, innocent people. Something probably mechanical went wrong and caused the accident. So it was not a plan to get rid of the Governor for whatever reason people are speculating,” Gowon said.