Labour Party presidential candidate and former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has released an official document detailing his brief involvement with the late General Sani Abacha’s regime, in what he described as an effort to correct persistent misinformation being spread by political opponents.
In a public statement issued on Tuesday, Obi addressed the long-standing narrative that seeks to link him politically with the infamous Abacha military junta.
He clarified that his only engagement with the regime was through the Taskforce on Port Decongestion—a civic initiative to improve the dire state of Nigerian port operations in the 1990s.
“As I stated during my interview at the weekend and have consistently maintained, I had never met General Sani Abacha before that encounter,” Obi said. “Our meeting was borne out of a collective concern as traders and importers over the prolonged delays in clearing goods at the ports.”
Obi explained that his inclusion in the Taskforce was due to his status at the time as a trader and importer, who, along with others in the business community, had made representations to the government regarding the challenges at the ports. His role, he emphasized, was non-political and focused solely on economic reforms.
To back up his claims, Obi made public a letter that officially documented his appointment to the Taskforce. The letter outlines the committee’s mandate to resolve port congestion issues that were crippling Nigeria’s economy at the time.
“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,” he stated.
Obi further said he was not surprised by attempts to distort the facts of the engagement, blaming what he described as “mischief makers” with a political agenda. “I don’t expect this copious evidence to bury this Abacha case because the mischief makers have ulterior motives,” Obi remarked. “But it’s being placed in the public space for posterity and in line with my transparency pledge to Nigerians.”
The release of the document comes amid renewed criticism from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), whose members have repeatedly questioned Obi’s past ties with military regimes.
Political analysts see Obi’s move as a strategic effort to maintain his image as a reform-driven, transparent leader—particularly ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections. It also signals his determination to take control of the narrative, especially on sensitive issues used by rivals to question his political credibility.
