No Nigerian Dead or Alive Can Say I Wanted Third Term: Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed long-standing allegations that he attempted to extend his stay in office beyond the constitutionally permitted two terms, insisting he never sought a third term.

Obasanjo made the remarks on Wednesday during a democracy dialogue organized by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana. He described the speculation as baseless and without 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 declared.

The former president argued that achieving debt relief for Nigeria during his administration was far more difficult than securing an unconstitutional tenure extension.

“I keep telling them that if I could get debt relief—which is more difficult than getting a third term—then if I truly wanted a third term, I would have gotten it too,” he added.

Obasanjo further cautioned leaders against clinging to power, describing it as a false sense of indispensability. According to him, leadership is best exercised in one’s prime, not when one has lost vibrancy and dynamism.

“I know that the best is done when you are young, ideal, 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 can do it,” he said.

“They even claim there is no one else to take over. I believe that is a sin against God, because if God takes you away—which He can do at any time—somebody else will step in, and that person may do better or worse.”