Yakubu Gowon, a former head of state, says he pleaded with the late Sani Abacha, a former military ruler, to spare the life of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
NAN quoted Gowon as saying this at the maiden edition of the Interdenominational Unity Christmas Carol and Praise Festival organised by the Plateau state government.
Obasanjo was arrested by the Abacha regime in 1995 over an alleged coup plot. The former president was released years later after Abacha’s death in 1998.
In 1999, Obasanjo was elected president of the country on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
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The former head of state said he sent his wife a letter to Abacha pleading for Obasanjo’s life.
“I wrote a letter to Abacha, I pleaded with him that God made him a leader to do good and not evil,” he said.
“I’m glad that soon after that, things changed, and not only that Obasanjo left prison, he became our president in 1999.
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“This is something that only prayers and sincerity can do, I am happy that today myself and Obasanjo are here to celebrate the unity of Plateau.”
Gowon thanked the state government for organising the carol, adding that it would unite the citizens of the state who have experienced “a myriad of security challenges”.
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