Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has denied allegations of collaborating with the late military ruler, General Sani Abacha, clarifying that his limited engagement with the regime was purely civic and economic in nature.
Obi, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, released a copy of a 1996 appointment letter to support his claim. The letter detailed his selection to serve on a Federal Government Task Force on Ports Decongestion during Abacha’s regime.
“In consonance with my established principles of defending everything I am involved in… I hereby attach the letter which documents my co-opting, along with others, into the Taskforce on the decongestion of the Ports,” Obi stated.
He reiterated that he never met Abacha personally and that his role on the task force was strictly non-political. “The engagement was a civic response to inefficiencies plaguing port operations at the time,” he added.
Obi’s clarification follows a wave of criticism accusing him of secretly working with the Abacha regime, which was widely condemned for corruption, repression, and human rights abuses.
“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,” Obi explained.
While expressing doubt that the document would silence what he described as “mischief makers with ulterior motives,” Obi said the release was consistent with his ongoing commitment to transparency and public accountability.
“I don’t expect this copious evidence to bury this Abacha case… but it’s being placed in the public space for posterity and in line with my transparency pledge to Nigerians,” he concluded.
