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How I stopped Obasanjo from dragging Nigeria to court after his time in prison – Abdulsalami

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A former head of state, Abdulsalami Abubakar, has revealed how he advised ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo against suing the Nigerian Government after he was released from prison in 1998.

Recall that the Ogun State indigene was jailed by the late Sani Abacha, former military ruler but subsequently released after Abdulsalami took over power following his predecessor’s death.

According to The Cable, Obasanjo had threatened to go to court because his business had crumbled.

However, Abdulsalami succeeded in persuading him against the suit before Obasanjo himself rose to become the president after elections were conducted in 1999.

Speaking to TRUST TV, the former head of state said, “We released Obasanjo and other prisoners and pardoned them.

“So, when Obasanjo was released he came to see me, saying he was going to take the government to court. Why are you going to do that?”

He added that he pleaded with Obasanjo to“‘let bygones be bygones, thank God you are alive today, forget about these things. Some of the issues you mentioned [are] within my power I will look into that, so we left it at that,” Abubakar said.

“Like I had all other prisoners! What do you mean by I had to rehabilitate him?

“Of course not only him, all people that were imprisoned in one way or the other, we tried to rehabilitate them; to help them in one way or the other.

“In one way or the other we did what we could to assist them, so you cannot equate that to bringing him to contest for an election.”

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