FORMER Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has finally addressed long-running allegations that he sought a controversial third term while in office, dismissing them as baseless speculation and insisting there is no evidence to support such claims.
News Point Nigeria reports that Obasanjo made the comments on Wednesday during a Democracy Dialogue hosted by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, where he spoke candidly about governance, leadership succession, and the dangers of clinging to power.
“I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it,” the former president told participants.
“And there is no Nigerian dead or alive that would say I called him and told him I wanted a third term.”
Obasanjo, who governed Nigeria between 1999 and 2007, argued that those accusing him of plotting to amend the constitution underestimate his political capacity.
He cited his administration’s successful negotiation of historic debt relief from the Paris Club, which wiped out $18 billion in Nigeria’s foreign debt, as proof of his ability to achieve difficult goals.
“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 said to applause from the audience.
The former president used the occasion to warn African leaders against the temptation to hold onto power beyond their constitutional limits, describing the practice as morally wrong and spiritually dangerous.
“Some people believe that unless they are there, nobody else can do it. They will even tell you that they haven’t got anybody else,” he said.
“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 person may do better or may do worse.”
Obasanjo emphasized the importance of youthful and dynamic leadership, suggesting that the best governance comes when leaders are still “ideal, vibrant, and dynamic” rather than clinging to power in old age.
“The best is done when you are young and vibrant. When you are ‘kuje kuje’ (weak and frail), you don’t give your best,” he stated.
Obasanjo’s remarks come nearly two decades after Nigeria’s controversial 2006 third-term debate, during which a constitutional amendment bill that would have allowed presidents to seek another four-year term was defeated at the National Assembly.
Although Obasanjo has repeatedly denied involvement, many political observers have linked the failed bid to his administration, a claim he continues to reject.
The Goodluck Jonathan Foundation’s Democracy Dialogue is a platform dedicated to fostering discussion on democratic governance, peacebuilding, and leadership across Africa.