Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has debunked claims linking him to the late Gen. Sani Abacha’s infamous military regime, saying his engagement under the junta was purely civic and not political.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, came under renewed criticism over allegations that he was politically affiliated with Abacha’s administration—an era marred by massive corruption, human rights abuses, and clampdowns on civil liberties.
In a statement posted on his official X handle on Wednesday, Obi clarified that his only engagement with Abacha’s government was as a co-opted member of a task force set up in 1996 to decongest the Apapa Port in Lagos.
Obi shared a letter dated April 24, 1996, signed by then-Minister of Finance, Abu Gidado, which named him and Edwin Okeke as co-opted members of the port decongestion task force. The letter was addressed to the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Explaining the context of the appointment, Obi said, “Our meeting with General Abacha 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.”
He maintained that the move was motivated by civic responsibility and had nothing to do with partisan politics or allegiance to the military regime.
“As I stated during my interview at the weekend and have consistently maintained, I had never met General Sani Abacha before that encounter.
Our intention was to advocate for efficiency and propose practical steps towards restoring normalcy in port operations for the benefit of the wider business community and, ultimately, the Nigerian economy,” he said.
Obi further added that while he does not expect his explanation to silence critics, he deemed it necessary to publicly clarify the issue in the spirit of transparency and accountability.
“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,” he said.
“I don’t expect this copious evidence to bury the 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.”
Obi’s clarification comes amidst renewed scrutiny of public figures’ roles during Nigeria’s past military regimes, especially as debates over leadership accountability and national memory continue to dominate the political landscape.
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