Obasanjo Denies Ever Seeking Third Term in Office
By Safiyat Muhammed | The Bureau News
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has once again dismissed allegations that he attempted to extend his presidency beyond two terms, stating categorically that he never sought such a move.
Speaking at the Democracy Dialogue hosted by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra on Wednesday, Obasanjo said the speculation was baseless and lacked evidence.
“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,” Obasanjo said.
Debt Relief Was Harder Than a Third Term – Obasanjo
The former leader argued that securing international debt relief for Nigeria during his administration was far more difficult than any supposed tenure extension.
“I keep telling them that, look, if I wanted to get debt relief, which is more difficult than getting a third term and I got it, if I wanted a third term, I would have got it too,” he explained.
Warning Against Leaders Clinging to Power
Obasanjo also used the occasion to caution African leaders against the temptation of clinging to power, describing it as a dangerous illusion of indispensability.
“I know that the best is done when you are young, ideal and vibrant and dynamic. When you are ‘kuje kuje’ you don’t have the best. But some people believe that unless they are there, nobody else,” he remarked.
He further argued that leaders who believe they are irreplaceable commit what he described as “a sin against God.”
“They will even tell you that they haven’t got anybody else. I believe that that is a sin against God, because if God takes you away, which God can do anytime, then somebody else will come, and that somebody else may do better or may do worse.”
Obasanjo’s remarks come amid ongoing debates in Africa about tenure elongation, constitutional amendments, and the dangers posed to democracy when leaders refuse to step down.
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