Peter Obi, former Anambra governor and the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, has lauded Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, pioneer leader of the Biafran secession movement, for his legacy.

In a posthumous birthday tribute on his social media page on Tuesday, Mr Obi said, “Today, we remember the birth anniversary of our revered leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu. We continue to pray for the peaceful repose of his soul.”

The former Anambra governor said Mr Ojukwu “was more than a figure in our history; he embodied courage, intellect, dignity, and firm conviction. His life reminds us that leadership is not merely a position—it is a calling, a burden, and, at times, a test of one’s deepest values.”

He added, “As we reflect on his legacy, may we be inspired to build a society grounded in truth, equity, and humanity—ideals he held dear and defended resolutely.”

Mr Ojukwu, a Nigerian Army officer, led the Biafran secession movement. He was the governor of the Eastern region following the June 1966 coup that ousted General Aguyi Ironsi and led to the emergence of General Yakubu Gowon as Nigeria’s president.

In protest against the massacre of the easterners in northern Nigeria and the failure of the Aburi Peace Accord, Mr Ojukwu declared the eastern region’s secession from Nigeria on May 30, 1967, leading to a civil war that lasted for 30 months, beginning in 1967 and ending in 1970.

After the war, Mr Ojukwu fled to Côte d’Ivoire. He returned to Nigeria in 1982 after being granted a pardon, and he contested the presidency under the All Progressives Grand Alliance in 2003, before his death in 2011.