Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has denied long-standing allegations that he attempted to extend his tenure beyond the constitutional two terms before leaving office in 2007.
Speaking at the Democracy Dialogue organized by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Obasanjo stated unequivocally that there is no living or deceased Nigerian who can truthfully claim he ever solicited support for a third term in office.
“I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it,” Obasanjo said. “And there is no Nigerian, dead or alive, who can say I called him and asked for support for a third term.”
The former president argued that he had already demonstrated the capacity to achieve major national goals during his time in office, citing Nigeria’s successful debt relief as an example of a far more complex and demanding task than securing a third term.
“I keep telling them: if I could get debt relief—something much more difficult than getting a third term—then if I truly wanted a third term, I would have gotten it,” he added.
Obasanjo went on to caution African leaders against clinging to power, emphasizing that no individual is indispensable.
“The idea that a leader is the only one capable of leading is a sin against God,” he warned.
The event brought together current and former African leaders to discuss the state of democracy on the continent, with a shared emphasis on the need for institutional reforms, electoral integrity, and leadership accountability.
