The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has refuted claims linking him to the late military ruler, General Sani Abacha, insisting that his engagement with the former Head of State was motivated purely by civic responsibility.
Addressing the controversy in a statement shared on social media Wednesday morning, Obi said the meeting, which has sparked criticism in some quarters, had nothing to do with political alignment or ambition.
Instead, he explained, it was driven by urgent economic concerns at the time.
“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,” he stated in the post titled ‘Our Engagement with General Abacha: Setting the Record Straight’.
According to the former Anambra State governor, the engagement arose from frustrations among traders and importers over persistent delays in clearing goods at Nigerian ports. Obi noted that he and others approached Abacha in their capacity as businesspeople, not politicians.
“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.”
Obi emphasized that his actions at the time were rooted in civic duty, not political ambition. He also acknowledged that despite providing evidence to support his explanation, the issue might still be weaponized by those he described as mischief makers.
“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,” the statement added.
