By Miracle Ogunde
Former Nigerian Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon has said that he pleaded with late Gen. Sani Abacha not to excuse Olusegun Obasanjo after being convicted of being part of a planned coup to overthrow his government.
Speaking at the first edition of the Interdenominational Unity Christmas Carol and Praise Festival organised by the Plateau Government, Gowon revealed that he convinced Abacha after arresting Obasanjo to have a rethink about his intention, which he did.
He said, “I wrote a letter to Abacha, I pleaded with him that God made him a leader to do good and not evil.
“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.
“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,” he said.
Recall that Obasanjo was arrested in 1995 by Gen. Sani Abacha and convicted of being part of a planned coup to overthrow his government.
He spent three years in prison before he was released in 1998 after the death of Gen. Abacha on June 8 of that year.
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