Peter Obi Abacha taskforce claim dismissed as the Labour Party candidate releases 1996 document showing civic role, not political appointment.
Peter Obi Abacha taskforce claim has been roundly debunked by the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, who released a 1996 government document to clarify his role in a ports decongestion initiative under the late General Sani Abacha’s regime.
Also read: Labour Party Moves to Expel Peter Obi Over Coalition Involvement
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, was reacting to allegations by political commentator Reno Omokri, who accused him of working hand-in-hand with the late military ruler.
Omokri alleged that Obi was personally selected by Abacha to head a task force on port decongestion and claimed to have documents to support his claim.
Responding through a post on his verified X account on Wednesday, Obi attached a scanned letter dated April 24, 1996, issued by the then Minister of State for Finance, Abu Gidado.
The document, titled “Appointment as co-opted members of the task force on ports decongestion,” indicated Obi’s inclusion as a stakeholder in a temporary economic taskforce and not as a political appointee.
“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,” Obi wrote.
Obi clarified that he had never met Abacha prior to that encounter and insisted that his role on the task force was civic and business-driven.
According to him, the involvement was purely economic and resulted from logistical chaos and inefficiencies in the Nigerian ports at the time.
He further said the engagement was prompted by the frustrations experienced by businesses due to import bottlenecks under Abacha’s administration.
“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,” he stated.
“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.”
In a weekend interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today, Obi explained the backdrop of the 1996 taskforce, insisting that he had never been a government employee before becoming governor.
“I have never worked for any government before becoming governor. I was a very successful businessman, and everybody knows that,” he said.
“There was a time during Abacha’s government, and even during Obasanjo’s, when congestion in our ports reached a crisis level.”
He narrated how he and a few other business leaders visited Abuja to explain their concerns to the then Minister of Finance and the Head of State.
Their meeting led to the formation of the task force, which was tasked with clearing the backlog of cargo and restoring order to Nigeria’s trade routes.
Omokri had insisted that Obi’s link to Abacha tainted his claim of moral purity, suggesting that he worked directly under the military junta.
But Obi’s rebuttal, complete with official documentation, frames the appointment as an informal civic role with no executive function.
Obi added that publishing the document is in line with his commitment to openness and that he does not expect critics to stop.
However, he stated that Nigerians deserved the full picture of events surrounding his name.
His document has reignited debate around the legacy of the Abacha regime, long associated with human rights abuses and economic mismanagement.
Political analysts have pointed out that many business leaders of the 1990s were inevitably caught in civic and regulatory engagements with military regimes due to Nigeria’s heavily centralised economic system at the time.
While the authenticity of Obi’s rebuttal has been largely affirmed online, his critics continue to push the narrative of guilt by association.
Still, the public document has served to calm his supporters, who widely circulated it across digital platforms as evidence of transparency.
Obi concluded his statement by saying that he remains committed to defending truth and integrity, both in politics and public life.
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“I hereby attach the letter which documents my co-opting into the Taskforce on the decongestion of the Ports… Our actions were driven solely by civic duty.”
