The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has denied meeting former Head of State, the late General Sani Abacha, clarifying his relationship with late ruler.
In a post on his verified X account @PeterObi on Wednesday morning, he released an official letter in 1996 to debunk allegations that he worked for the military leader.
Obi clarified that his role was purely economic and civic, not political.
According to him, the engagement was rather a civic response to inefficiencies plaguing port operations at the time.
He also reiterated that the group’s intention was to advocate for better logistics and economic outcomes for Nigerian businesses.
He further expressed doubt that the release of the document would be sufficient for his critics whom he referred to as “mischief makers with ulterior motives”.
However, he said that placing the record in the public domain was consistent with his long-standing commitment to transparency and accountability.
Abacha ruled Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998.
His regime was criticised for widespread human rights violations, suppression of dissent, and large-scale looting of public funds.
Many critics had accused Obi of secretly collaborating with the Abacha regime.
But the former Anambra State maintained that he did not work for him. The document he released indicated appointing him to a Federal Government Task Force on Ports Decongestion.
The full statement titled “Our Engagement with General Abacha: Setting the Record Straight”, reads:
” In consonance with my established principles of defending everything I am involved in, and in the interest of all men and women of goodwill, especially those committed to the pursuit of truth, I hereby attach the letter which documents my co-opting, along with others, into the Taskforce on the decongestion of the Ports.
As I stated during my interview at the weekend and consistently maintained in the past, I had never met General Sani Abacha before that encounter. Our meeting with him was borne out of collective concern as traders and importers over the prolonged delays in clearing goods at the ports. We approached him not as political actors, but as concerned citizens seeking pragmatic solutions to a matter affecting economic activity and livelihoods.
Our intention was clear: to advocate for efficiency, and to propose practical steps towards restoring normalcy in port operations for the benefit of the wider business community and, ultimately, the Nigerian economy.
This clarification is offered in the interest of truth, to reaffirm that our actions were driven solely by a sense of civic duty and not political ambition.
I don’t expect this copious evidence to bury this Abacha case because the mischief makers have ulterior motives, but it’s being placed in the public space for posterity and in line with my transparency pledge to Nigerians on any issue I am involved in. -PO”.
