Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has firmly dismissed long-standing allegations that he once attempted to extend his presidency beyond the constitutionally mandated two terms.
Speaking on Wednesday at the Democracy Dialogue organized by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Obasanjo insisted that he never sought a tenure extension and that no credible evidence exists to support the speculation.
“I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know exactly how to go about it. There is no Nigerian, dead or alive, who can claim that I ever approached them to say I wanted a third term,” Obasanjo stated.
The former president argued that achieving debt relief for Nigeria during his administration was a far more challenging task than pushing for an additional term in office.
“I keep telling people that if I could secure debt relief—which was more difficult than getting a third term—then if I truly wanted a third term, I would have been able to get it,” he explained.
Obasanjo also warned leaders against clinging to power, stressing that such attitudes stem from a misguided belief in their own indispensability.
“I know the best leadership is delivered when one is young, vibrant, and dynamic. Once you become frail and sluggish, you cannot give your best. But some leaders deceive themselves into thinking that unless they remain in power, nobody else can lead,” he said.
According to him, this mindset is dangerous and even amounts to defiance of divine order.
“To claim there’s no one else capable is a sin against God, because if God decides to take you away—which He can do at any moment—someone else will inevitably step in. That person may perform better, or may do worse, but they will lead nonetheless,” Obasanjo concluded.
