I begged Abacha not to execute Obasanjo in 1995 – Gowon

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.

READ ALSO: Unconscious Patients Recover After Abia Govt…

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.