Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, has denied allegations claiming he sought a third term just before his second
term in office ended in 2007. Speaking at the Democracy Dialogue organized by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Obasanjo stated emphatically that no Nigerian, dead or alive, can truthfully claim he solicited support for a third term agenda.
Obasanjo said, “I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian, dead or alive, that would say I called him and told him I wanted a third term.” He defended his record by citing the complexity of achieving Nigeria’s debt relief during his administration, a feat he considered more difficult than securing a third term.
He also cautioned against leaders overstaying in power, emphasizing that the belief in one’s indispensability is a “sin against God.” Obasanjo insisted that his focus had always been on national development and democracy rather than personal power extension.
His remarks come amid longstanding controversy and political debate in Nigeria surrounding the so-called “third term agenda,” which involved efforts by some politicians at the time to amend the constitution for presidential tenure extension, a move Obasanjo has consistently denied initiating or supporting.
Obasanjo’s clear rejection of third term ambitions underscores his position that democratic principles and the peaceful transfer of power should guide Nigeria’s political landscape.
