Obi addresses relationship with Sani Abacha

Abdullateef Fowewe

Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has responded to remarks regarding his past relationship with former military head of state, Sani Abacha.

Abacha’s regime, from November 1993 to June 1998, was characterised with widespread corruption, financial mismanagement, and a crackdown on dissent.

Many people often alleged that the former Anambra governor was a political appointee under Abacha, suggesting he can’t fully distance himself from the administration’s controversial legacy.

On Wednesday, Obi took to his X (formerly Twitter) handle to address these claims directly.

He shared a purpoted copy of a letter indicating he and others were co-opted into a task force for port decongestion in Apapa, Lagos state.

Obi clarified that his encounter with Abacha stemmed from an initiative where he and other traders approached the former military leader to discuss the critical issue of port congestion in Nigeria.

Obi wrote, “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.”