A political disagreement has erupted in Plateau State after former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, publicly rejected Governor Caleb Mutfwang's apology to the Igbo community over the state's involvement in Nigeria's 1967-1970 civil war, describing the gesture as an overreach of the governor's authority.

The controversy traces back to an interactive session held at Government House, Jos, where Governor Mutfwang met with Igbo leaders representing all 17 local government areas of Plateau State. During the meeting, Mutfwang offered a formal apology on behalf of the state, explaining that Plateau people had been deceived into participating in the war by the military administration of Gen. Yakubu Gowon, a Plateau indigene who served as Nigeria's head of state during the conflict. He urged both communities to move past the historical grievance and continue strengthening the bonds between them, describing Plateau and the Igbo community as having effectively become one family in the decades since.

Dalung, in a lengthy statement shared publicly, strongly disputed the governor's characterisation of history, describing the apology as a reckless and irresponsible act of historical revision. He argued that Mutfwang, born after the war's conclusion, lacked firsthand understanding of the events and circumstances that led to the conflict, and questioned the governor's constitutional standing to issue an apology on behalf of the collective people of Plateau State without broader consultation with traditional rulers or elected representatives. Offering his own account of the war's origins, Dalung traced its roots to the January 1966 coup led by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, arguing that the ethnic composition of that coup's leadership had fuelled resentment within the military that ultimately culminated in the civil war itself. He gave the governor a 72-hour window to retract the apology and instead apologise to the people of Plateau, warning that the remarks risked reopening old wounds at a time when the state already faces significant security challenges.

The backlash to Dalung's position was swift. Former Southeast campaign spokesman for President Bola Tinubu, Josef Onoh, sharply criticised the ex-minister's stance, describing it as regressive rhetoric that undermines national reconciliation efforts. Onoh argued that as Plateau's democratically elected leader, Mutfwang held the full moral, legal and political mandate to serve as custodian of the state's collective conscience, and rejected the notion that Dalung had any standing to dictate how the governor pursues reconciliation. According to Onoh, acknowledging that some Plateau indigenes were misled into the conflict does not diminish the sacrifices of those who died, but rather helps address what he characterised as long-standing historical grievances affecting the Igbo community.

Adding to the debate, a Plateau-based Igbo community group has since publicly hailed Mutfwang's apology as a historic gesture, with the Igbo Community President-General in Plateau State commending the governor for what he described as inclusive leadership and a genuine commitment to peaceful coexistence. Notably, the same group used the occasion to formally endorse Mutfwang as their preferred candidate ahead of the 2027 governorship election, citing his handling of the reconciliation process as evidence of his broader leadership qualities.

The episode has also drawn attention to a separate demand from Plateau's Hausa community, who have called for a similar apology to be extended over long-running indigene-ship disputes โ€” a sign that Mutfwang's initial gesture toward the Igbo community may open the door to broader conversations about historical grievances involving other ethnic groups within the state. As the political disagreement continues to play out publicly, it remains unclear whether Dalung's ultimatum will prompt any formal response from the governor's office, or whether the matter will simply continue to divide opinion among Plateau's political and community stakeholders.