My engagement with Abacha driven by civic duty, not politics, says Obi

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, has reacted to comments about his previous engagements with Sani Abacha, former military head of state.

Abacha was the head of state from November 1993 to June 1998. His administration was characterised by widespread corruption, mismanagement of public funds, and a clampdown on journalists and civil actors.

Over the years, critics of Obi have alleged that the former Anambra governor was among Abacha’s political appointees and, as such, cannot completely distance himself from the irregularities associated with that administration.

In response to the allegations, Obi, on Wednesday, issued a statement via his social media handles alongside a copy of a letter, which showed he and others were co-opted into the taskforce team for port decongestion in Apapa, Lagos state.

The ex-presidential candidate explained that he met Abacha when he and other traders approached the ex-military leader on the decongestion of ports in the country.

“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,” Obi said.

“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.”

The letter, published by Obi, was dated April 24, 1996, and signed by Abu Gidado, then minister of finance.

The letter titled: ‘Appointment as Co-opted Members of Taskforce on Ports Decongestion’ was addressed to the secretary of Lagos Commerce Association.

In the letter, Obi and Edwin Okeke were asked to serve at Apapa port.