How I begged Abacha not to kill Obasanjo – Gowon
Former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon (retd.) has disclosed that he begged with the late General Sani Abacha to save former President Olusegun Obasanjo's life, who was condemned to death in 1995 for an alleged coup plot.Gowon made the announcement on Friday during Jos' inaugural Interdenominational Unity Christmas Carol and Praise Festival, which was organized by the Plateau State government.
Obasanjo, the event's Special Guest of Honour, was detained and convicted under Abacha's reign on charges of plotting to topple the government.
Despite claiming his innocence, Obasanjo was condemned to death but was liberated in 1998 upon Abacha's death.
Recounting his efforts to spare Obasanjo, the former Head of State, who was the Special Guest of Honour, stated that he wrote a letter to Abacha, pleading for mercy.
"I wrote a letter to Abacha, pleading with him that God made him a leader to do good, not evil," Gowon told the newspaper.
He further stated that he dispatched his wife to physically deliver the letter to Abacha in Abuja late at night.
He went on to say, "I submitted the letter to Abacha in the middle of the night via my wife. I begged him not to carry out Obasanjo's execution.
"I'm delighted that circumstances changed soon after that, and Obasanjo not only got out of prison, but also 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 served three years in prison before being released following Abacha's untimely death on June 8, 1998, which cleared the door for his eventual return to politics and election as Nigerian president in 1999.
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