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Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd.), has revealed that he pleaded with the late General Sani Abacha to spare the life of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who had been sentenced to death over an alleged coup plot in 1995.
Gowon disclosed this on Friday during the maiden Interdenominational Unity Christmas Carol and Praise Festival organised by the Plateau State Government in Jos.
Obasanjo, who was a Special Guest of Honour at the event, was arrested and convicted during Abacha’s regime on allegations of planning to overthrow the government.
Despite maintaining his innocence, Obasanjo was sentenced to death but later released in 1998 after Abacha’s demise.
Recounting his efforts to save Obasanjo, the former Head of State, who was the Special Guest of Honour, said he wrote a letter to Abacha, appealing for clemency.
“I wrote a letter to Abacha, pleading with him that God made him a leader to do good, not evil,” Gowon stated.
He added that he sent his wife to personally deliver the letter to Abacha in Abuja late at night.
He added, “I sent my wife with the letter in the middle of the night to Abacha. I pleaded with him that such a thing [Obasanjo’s execution] should not happen.
“I’m glad that soon after that, things changed, and not only that Obasanjo left prison, he became our president in 1999.
“This is something that only prayers and sincerity can do; I’m happy that today myself and Obasanjo are here to celebrate the unity of Plateau.”
Obasanjo spent three years in prison before his release following Abacha’s sudden death on June 8, 1998, an event that paved the way for his eventual return to politics and his election as Nigeria’s president in 1999.
