Peter Obi Denies Ever Working With Late Military Ruler Sani Abacha

Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has denied claims suggesting he had any working relationship with the late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha.

Speaking during an appearance on Sunday Politics, a Channels TV programme, Obi clarified that he neither knew nor ever met Abacha while he was in power. He emphasized that his entire professional and political career has been conducted in the open and remains well-documented in the public domain.

The clarification comes in response to recent accusations by Reno Omokri, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, who alleged that Obi worked with the Abacha regime.

Setting the record straight, Peter Obi explained that during Abacha’s administration, a policy had led to serious congestion at Nigerian ports due to halted imports and exports. In response, a group of business leaders, including Obi, sought an audience with government officials to address the issue.

“We went to Abuja to meet with the Minister of Finance and eventually the President. After explaining the challenges, the President instructed the Minister to involve some of us in a committee to help decongest the ports,” Obi said.

He noted that his involvement was limited to that short-term intervention and had nothing to do with Abacha personally.

“That was it. A two-to-three-week assignment. Later, when discussions started about reorganizing and probing the ports, my name may have come up. But I was never involved beyond that. I never met Abacha. I don’t know him. Everything I’ve done is in the public space,” Obi added.

He dismissed the claims as baseless and reiterated his commitment to transparency and accountability.