Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has denied long-standing allegations that he sought a third term in office, insisting that no Nigerian can provide proof to back the claim.
Speaking on Wednesday at the Democracy Dialogue organized by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Obasanjo dismissed the notion, saying:
“I think I’m not a fool. If I wanted it—some thought I wanted it—I know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian, dead or alive, who can say I ever called him to say I wanted a third term. None. I keep telling them, if I could secure debt relief for Nigeria, which was harder than getting a third term, then if I wanted a third term, I would have got it too.”
The former president maintained that achieving debt relief during his tenure was far more difficult than extending his stay in power, stressing that if he had truly pursued a third term, he would have succeeded.
Obasanjo also cautioned against leaders who cling to power, describing the mindset that one is “irreplaceable” as a *sin against God*.
According to him, the best leadership often comes from young, vibrant, and dynamic individuals, not from those who overstay their relevance.
“I know the best is done when you are young, ideal, vibrant, and dynamic. When you are ‘kuje kuje’ (weak and weary), you cannot give the best. But some people believe that unless they are there, nobody else can do it. They will even tell you there’s no one else. That is a sin against God, because if God removes you—which He can do anytime—someone else will step in. That person may do better, or may do worse, but somebody else will come,” Obasanjo said.
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