I Pleaded with Abacha not to Execute Obasanjo, says Gowon
Former Military Head of State of Nigeria, Yakubu Gowon said he pleaded with Abacha not to execute Obasanjo during his regime in 1995.
Obasanjo had been arrested and sent to prison by Abacha for allegedly being part of a coup plot to overthrow Abacha’s Government. And was later sentenced to death after he pleaded not guilty.
He was in prison for three years and was released after Abacha’s death in 1998.
Gowon said he wrote a letter and sent his wife to deliver it to Abacha at night.
Gowon revealed this during an Interdenominational Unity Christmas Carol and Praise Festival organized by the Government of Plateau State.
The event which had both Nigeria’s former military Heads of State in attendance, was organized by Mr. Caleb Mutfwang to promote peace and unity among the people of Plateau, which had experienced some crisis of recent.
Olusegun Obasanjo was a Guest of Honour, while Yakubu Gowon was a Special Guest of Honour.
Gowon said he wrote a letter to Abacha, pleading with him, that God made him a leader to do good and not evil.
“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 sent my wife with the letter in the middle of the night to Abacha in Abuja; I pleaded with him that such a thing should not happen.”
Gowon expressed how he was happy that things changed, and Obasanjo soon became the Fourth Republic President of Nigeria when power was handed to the Civilians.
“I’m glad that soon after that, things changed, and not only that Obasanjo left prison, he became our president in 1999,” Gowon stated.
