Former Nigerian Head of State Yakubu Gowon has stated that the 1967 Aburi meeting in Ghana did not include any agreement allowing the Eastern Region to secede from Nigeria and form the Republic of Biafra.

Gowon made the clarification in his autobiography, My Life of Duty and Allegiance, which was launched in Abuja on Tuesday.

The former military ruler said he was shocked after learning that the then Eastern Region leader, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, allegedly told residents of the Eastern Region that the Aburi discussions had endorsed the partition of Nigeria.

The Aburi meeting, held on January 4 and 5, 1967, at Peduase Lodge in Ghana, was convened as part of efforts to resolve the political crisis threatening Nigeria following a series of coups and rising ethnic tensions.

According to Gowon, the discussions were aimed at preserving national unity and reducing hostilities among the country’s regions rather than negotiating separation.

He recalled that shortly after returning from the talks, the then Military Governor of the Midwest Region, David Ejoor, informed him about Ojukwu’s broadcast to Eastern Nigerians concerning the outcome of the meeting.

Gowon said Ojukwu allegedly claimed during the broadcast that both parties had agreed each region could “go its separate way,” an interpretation the former Head of State described as false and inconsistent with the resolutions reached in Ghana.

The former Nigerian leader argued that records from the meeting did not support Ojukwu’s position and accused the late Biafran leader of advancing a personal political agenda rather than reflecting the collective understanding reached at Aburi.

Gowon also referenced the controversial Unification Decree No. 34 introduced in 1966 by former Head of State Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, which transformed Nigeria into a unitary system of government.

According to him, the decree heightened fears of domination by the Eastern Region in other parts of the country and contributed to growing political distrust before the civil war.

He said his administration later restored the federal system after taking power.

The former Head of State further accused Ojukwu of repeatedly violating agreements reached during the crisis period and claimed that such actions undermined efforts to peacefully resolve tensions before the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War.

The conflict, fought between July 1967 and January 1970, followed the declaration of the Republic of Biafra by the Eastern Region and resulted in massive casualties, with millions affected by violence, starvation and disease.

The launch of Gowon’s memoir was attended by several prominent Nigerians, including President Bola Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, and former President Goodluck Jonathan, who chaired the event.