Abacha ‘More Democratic’ Than Today’s So-Called Defenders Of Democracy – Obi

Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi has declared late Gen Sani Abacha, who was head of state from 1993 to 1998, as more democratic than those who claimed to have fought for democracy, especially through the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO.

The 2023 Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, said this in a post on his X (Twitter) handle on Thursday.

His declaration is coming on the heels of recent development within the party, especially with court decisions and reactions from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

“Yesterday defenders of democracy, today’s destroyers. What a shame.

“What an irony of history, that the acclaimed defenders of democracy and human rights, who claimed to have fought for democracy during the era of General Sani Abacha, now find themselves worse than the man they opposed.

“Today, General Sani Abacha, once presumed face of oppression, will be remembered as seemingly more democratic and more respectful of human rights than the so-called champions of activism from the NADECO days,” he wrote.

Recall that INEC, moved to remove names of Senator David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from its portal as national chairman and national secretary of the ADC, respectively.

The electoral body said it would also not recognise one Nafiu Bala Gombe who had gone to court seeking to be made national chairman of the ADC.

In a decisive response to the leadership tussle rocking the party and the recent judgment of the Court of Appeal in Suit No. CA/ABJ/145/2026, the commission, yesterday, announced it would cease all recognition of the duo and refrain from monitoring any conventions or congresses organised by their factions, pending the determination of the substantive suit before the Federal High Court.

However, ADC rejected INEC’s interpretation of the Court of Appeal ruling concerning the party’s leadership dispute.

Meanwhile, a joint detachment of defence, security and intelligence personnel on Thursday formed a cordon around the vicinity of INEC headquarters on Zambezi Crescent, Maitama, Abuja, as part of measures to stave off clashes between two groups of protesters.

Men of the Nigeria Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, and the State Security Service, SSS, were in the area monitoring developments and restricting access of people to the commission.