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Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has strongly denied claims that he pursued a third term in office before his second term ended in 2007.
Speaking at the Democracy Dialogue hosted by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Obasanjo stated that no Nigerian—living or deceased—can truthfully say he ever asked for support to extend his presidency.
“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,” he emphasized.
Obasanjo highlighted his achievements in office, particularly Nigeria’s debt relief, as evidence of his ability to tackle significant national challenges—much more difficult than any alleged third-term ambition.
“I keep telling them that if I could get debt relief, which was more difficult than getting a third term, then if I wanted a third term, I would have got it too,” he said.
The former president also warned against leaders who try to cling to power beyond their mandate, calling the belief in one’s indispensability a “sin against God.”
