By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – A group, Rising Sun, has accused Nigeria’s former Head of State, retired General Yakubu Gowon, of distorting the history behind the failure of the historic Aburi Accord of 1967, which they claim led to the Nigerian Civil War.

The group, in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, asserted that Gowon’s recent explanation for the Accord’s breakdown was misleading and an attempt to rewrite history.

The statement, jointly signed by Chief Maxwell Dede, President of Rising Sun, and Rev. Fr. Augustine Odimmegwa, the group’s Secretary, condemned Gowon’s claim that the Accord failed because General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu demanded that regional governors’ control the military.

Instead, the group argued that the demand for regional control of security forces was a legitimate push for justice and true federalism.

The Aburi Accord, held on January 4-5, 1967, in Ghana, was a last-ditch effort to prevent Nigeria’s disintegration following the first military coup of January 1966 and the counter-coup of July 1966, which led to the massacre of thousands of Easterners in the North.

The agreement, documented in writing and tape recordings, emphasized regional sovereignty, a loose federation, and joint control of the armed forces.

“If Nigeria had followed the Aburi Accord in its true form, there would have been no war. There would have been no genocide. There would have been no famine used as a weapon of war. There would have been no carpet-bombing of villages,” the statement read.

The group alleged that Gowon reneged on the Accord under pressure from the British High Commission and the Northern oligarchy, who sought to maintain a centralized Nigeria to protect colonial-era corporate interests, particularly Shell BP.

“Britain did not want a successful federation of autonomous regions; it wanted a unified, centrally-controlled Nigeria under Fulani dominance,” the statement added.

The Rising Sun also drew parallels to the United States’ federal system, where state governors control their National Guards.

“Is it treasonous in a federal system for regional leaders to demand control over security forces in their territories?” the group questioned.

Millions of Nigerians, the group argued, are still living with the consequences of the Accord’s betrayal, including insecurity, economic collapse, and a ‘unitary state masquerading as a federation.’

They called on historians and scholars to revisit the original documents and tapes of the Aburi Accord to expose what they described as Gowon’s lies.

“We call on all truth-seeking historians, scholars, and lovers of justice to revisit the original tapes and documents of the Aburi Accord, many of which are publicly available, to expose the lies,” the statement urged.

The group emphasized that Ojukwu’s stance at Aburi was not about secession but about autonomy, safety, and self-governance.

“Ojukwu stood on the side of justice. History has already passed its verdict, and it is not in his favour,” the statement concluded.

The Rising Sun’s allegations come amid ongoing debates about Nigeria’s federal structure and calls for restructuring to address regional grievances and restore true federalism.