Opposition politician Peter Obi has acknowledged that his association with the former military dictator Sani Abacha, which has been maligned, was primarily based on economic interests rather than political expediency

Mr Obi has been repeatedly accused of political affiliation with the former maximum ruler, whose regime was notorious for wanton and widespread human rights violations and the extermination of political opponents. Mr Abacha’s violent regime collapsed following his sudden death in 1998.

Since declaring his ambition to run for president in 2023 on the platform of the Labour Party, Mr Obi has been assailed with the allegation that he was one of many commercial and political opportunists who hobnobbed with the infamous Mr Abacha.

However, in a statement on Wednesday, Mr Obi made public a document appointing him to a task force on ports decongestion under the Abacha regime, revealing that his ties with the military junta were related to commerce, aimed at addressing the prolonged cargo delays.

“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,” he claimed. “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.”

According to Mr Obi, the task force aimed to advocate for efficiency and propose practical steps to restore normalcy in the operations of the Nigerian port.

“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,” the former presidential candidate noted. “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.”

However, Mr Obi added, “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.”