Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central in the National Assembly, has publicly criticized Nigeria’s former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd.), for allegedly misrepresenting the events surrounding the Nigerian Civil War during a recent appearance on ARISE Television.
Umeh expressed disappointment over Gowon’s statements, accusing the 91-year-old military veteran of peddling historical inaccuracies and attempting to whitewash the role he played in one of Nigeria's darkest chapters.
Speaking to journalists in Awka, the Anambra State capital, Umeh said it was unfortunate that someone of Gowon's stature would, in his old age, disseminate what he described as “falsehoods” about a people still grappling with the war’s long-lasting trauma.
“It is painful that even now, General Gowon would still find the courage to lie about the events of the Civil War, claiming it was not targeted against the Igbo. That’s a blatant distortion of history,” Umeh stated.
The Senator faulted Gowon’s remarks on the 1966 coup, accusing him of deliberately downplaying the ethnic targeting of Igbo officers during the retaliatory counter-coup. He challenged the former Head of State to name officers from his region who were killed in the counter-coup, asserting that it was effectively a purge of Igbo personnel from the military.
Umeh praised former Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida (retd.), for clarifying in his recent book that the initial 1966 coup was not exclusively an Igbo affair, as it also involved Yoruba and Northern officers. He then urged Gowon to publish his own account if he truly believes in the version of events he narrated.
“Perhaps Gowon’s memory is failing him at 91, but some of us who worked closely with the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and interviewed him on several occasions know the truth. What Gowon is saying now is a grave misrepresentation,” Umeh added.
Betrayal of the Aburi Accord
The Senator also revisited the controversial Aburi Accord, an agreement reached in Ghana between Gowon and Ojukwu in 1967, aimed at preventing full-scale war. Umeh accused Gowon of betraying the agreement, which Ojukwu believed would usher in a confederation allowing Nigeria’s regions to develop independently.
“Ojukwu told me that he and Gowon agreed in Ghana that a confederation was the path forward. The Ghanaian leader at the time, General Joseph Ankrah, even symbolically joined their hands and encouraged them to implement the accord. Ojukwu was ready to support Gowon as Head of State upon return, provided the accord was honored,” Umeh said.
He lamented that Gowon failed to fulfill his promise upon returning to Nigeria, allegedly influenced by advisers who pushed him to abandon the agreement. That betrayal, Umeh emphasized, triggered the war that devastated the Eastern Region and claimed millions of lives.
“Gowon’s refusal to honor the Aburi Accord lit the fuse for the Biafran War. The Eastern economy, which was once Africa’s fastest-growing, was ruined. Businesses were destroyed, and countless lives were lost.”
'Gowon Owes Igbos an Apology'
Umeh further criticized Gowon’s narrative that the war was fought to preserve Nigeria’s unity, arguing that decades after the war, the country remains deeply divided.
“Nigeria is not united today. Even Gowon’s people in the Middle Belt are being slaughtered daily, as witnessed during President Tinubu’s visit to Benue State. What did he truly achieve with that war? His legacy is one of division and mistrust, especially between the Igbo and Yoruba,” Umeh noted.
He also accused Gowon of speaking up now only because Ojukwu, the leader of Biafra during the war, is no longer alive to counter his claims.
“While Ojukwu was alive, he was vocal about what transpired. Gowon chose silence. Now that Ojukwu is gone, he suddenly finds his voice. It is an act of cowardice,” Umeh declared.
He questioned how retired General T.Y. Danjuma, who is still alive and was reportedly involved in the counter-coup, would react to Gowon's apparent denials.
In closing, Umeh called on Gowon to offer a sincere public apology to the Igbo people for the roles he played before, during, and after the war insisting that this act of contrition is long overdue and essential for national healing.
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