Nothing Could Have Stopped Me If I Wanted Third Term

Obasanjo denies ever seeking a third term in office.
He said Nigeria’s debt relief deal was harder than securing a third term.
The ex-president warned against leaders who see themselves as irreplaceable.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed widespread claims that he once attempted to secure a third term in office during his tenure as Nigeria’s leader from 1999 to 2007.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that speaking at the Democracy Dialogue of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, on Wednesday, Obasanjo stated that no Nigerian, living or dead, could prove that he ever sought to extend his presidency beyond the constitutional two terms.

“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, that will say I called him and told him I wanted the third term. None,” the former president declared.

He noted that his administration’s success in securing an $18 billion debt relief package from the Paris Club in 2005 — which he described as a more difficult feat — was evidence that if he had truly pursued a third term, it would have been within his reach.

“I keep telling them that 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,” Obasanjo said.

Obasanjo, 87, further cautioned against leaders who view themselves as indispensable, describing such a mindset as a “sin against God.” He emphasized that power should not be seen as a personal entitlement, warning that no leader is irreplaceable.

“Some people believe that unless they are there, nobody else can lead. They will even tell you that they haven’t got anybody else. I believe that is a sin against God because if God takes you away anytime, somebody else will come, and that person may do better or worse,” he added.

The elder statesman also stressed that the best leadership is achieved in youth, highlighting the importance of vibrancy, dynamism, and fresh ideas in governance.

“I know that the best is done when you are young, ideal, vibrant, and dynamic. When you are ‘kuje kuje’ (weak or frail), you don’t have the best,” Obasanjo remarked.

His comments come amid ongoing debates across Africa over sit-tight leaders and constitutional amendments aimed at extending presidential terms.