Former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon has said that the collapse of the 1967 Aburi Accord, the last major peace effort before Nigeria’s civil war, was triggered by a demand from Biafran leader Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu for regional control of the military.

Speaking in an interview aired on Arise TV on Wednesday, Gowon said that while both sides had engaged in genuine dialogue during the Aburi summit in Ghana, the Eastern Region’s insistence on controlling zoned military commands was unacceptable to the federal government.

“Although we said that the military would be zoned, you know, but the control… he wanted, you know, those zones to be commanded by the governor. Say you have a military zone in the north, it would be commanded by the governor of the military in the east, it would be commanded by, you know, by him,” Gowon explained.

“And, of course, we did not agree with that one,” he added.

Gowon emphasised that the federal delegation never intended the summit to serve as a platform for constitutional restructuring or military devolution.

“We just went there as far as we are concerned to be able to meet as officers now, and then to agree to be able to get back home and resolve a problem at home. That was my understanding. But that was not his understanding,” he said.

The former leader also disclosed that he was unwell upon returning from the summit and unable to respond promptly to the terms Ojukwu had announced publicly, which he said led to confusion.

“Unfortunately… I was having a serious attack of a kind of fever or whatever it is, and I could not make a decision,” he noted.

Gowon accused Ojukwu of acting unilaterally by announcing the Accord’s outcome without mutual clarification.

“Ojukwu was one who, when he came, he went and made… a statement about the Aburi Accord,” Gowon said.

To address the ambiguity, Gowon said the federal government organised a follow-up meeting in Benin City with all regional governors — an effort Ojukwu ultimately snubbed.

“We had to organise that, you know, a meeting of all the governors. And he was invited to attend so that we can deal with the Accord. And we met at Nifo in Benin. And he did not turn up,” he recounted.

Gowon expressed regret that the opportunity to salvage the Accord was lost due to Ojukwu’s absence and rigid stance.

“The only thing that I added was that no region can secede from the country,” he said.