‘I Told Obasanjo To Forget Presidential Ambition After Prison Release’ – Abdulsalami

Former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), has revealed that he advised former President Olusegun Obasanjo to abandon the idea of contesting the 1999 presidential election after his release from prison in 1998.

Naija News reports that Abdulsalami said he told Obasanjo to return home, thank God for surviving his ordeal and forget about becoming President.

He also disclosed that he persuaded Obasanjo not to sue the Federal Government over his imprisonment, warning that the court process could be prolonged and uncertain.

The revelations are contained in Chapter 22 of Abdulsalami’s 264-page autobiography, Call of Duty, presented at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, to mark his 84th birthday.

President Bola Tinubu was represented at the event by Vice President, Kashim Shettima.

Abdulsalami said Obasanjo came to him after his release with two issues, his plan to sue the government and the invitation by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to contest the presidency.

He wrote, “I was forthright with him. One, I advised him that he should not take the government to court because it might not augur well.

“For one, he would not know how long it would take the court to give judgment. I told him that, as a government, we would try to see what could be done about his business in the form of compensation.

“The court process was uncertain, I told him. I tried to dissuade him from pursuing the litigation option, and he agreed with me.”

On Obasanjo’s presidential ambition, Abdulsalami said he advised him against joining the race.

Abdulsalami further stated, “On the invitation by the PDP that he should run in the presidential race, I advised him to return home and thank God that he was still alive after all he had gone through in four years. I told him point-blank that he should forget about contesting to be President.

“He took a deep sigh and said he was going to think about it and revert. He never got back to me. He can confirm this encounter.”

The former Head of State said Obasanjo’s eventual emergence as President should not be interpreted to mean that his administration backed his candidacy.

“I tell people till today that my administration had nothing to do with the presidential ambition of General Obasanjo.

“It may be hard to believe, but we did not endorse him, and we did not work for him. It was a conjecture.

“As I have said several times, as a government, we decided to release all political prisoners. We did not pick and choose. We did not single any individual out for favour. General Obasanjo was one of those prisoners who regained freedom,” he stated.

Abdulsalami added that many other political prisoners were also released and pardoned.

He stated, “Some said because we granted him a pardon, which allowed him to run for office, that meant we were working for him.

“But we released and pardoned scores of political prisoners. It was because General Obasanjo ended up as the President that people overlooked the other prisoners that were pardoned as well.”

Abdulsalami acknowledged reports that some retired generals worked behind the scenes to persuade Obasanjo to contest, believing he could unite the country.

He, however, distanced himself and his government from the efforts.

“There were reports that some retired Generals worked behind the scenes to persuade General Obasanjo to run because they believed he was the one who could unite Nigerians at that critical time, given his experience, network and knowledge.

“I read the reports, too. I was also aware of efforts made by some people to ensure that somebody who was nationally acceptable was elected as President.

“Those were private initiatives and had nothing to do with our government or me,” he wrote.

In the book, Abdulsalami also explained how his administration adjusted the electoral rules to allow the Alliance for Democracy (AD) to be registered as a political party.