Peter Obi, former Anambra State governor and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, has clarified that his past meeting with late military ruler, General Sani Abacha, was strictly economic and not political.

In a statement issued on Wednesday through his media aide, Valentine Obienyem, Obi explained that the meeting took place during Abacha's regime in response to severe delays in clearing goods at Nigerian ports. Obi, then a trader and importer, was among those co-opted into a federal taskforce on port decongestion.

He emphasized that the encounter was based on economic concerns and civic responsibility—not political ambition. “We approached him not as political actors, but as concerned citizens,” Obi noted, stating that the group sought pragmatic solutions to a pressing national economic challenge.

The clarification, according to Obi, was necessary to maintain the integrity of historical records and provide truth to the public.