Olayiwola Matthew
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed claims that he sought a third term in office, insisting he never pursued such an ambition.
Speaking on Wednesday at the democracy dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Obasanjo said that no Nigerian, living or deceased, can provide evidence to substantiate such claims.
“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.
He emphasised his ability to secure difficult achievements, noting that securing debt relief for Nigeria during his administration was a far greater challenge than obtaining a third term in office.
“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 said.
Obasanjo also warned against leaders who overstay their tenure, describing the mindset of indispensability as a “sin against God.”
“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.
“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,” he said.