I never sought third term as president — Obasanjo insists

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has firmly denied long-standing claims that he attempted to extend his presidency beyond the constitutionally permitted two terms, stating that he never pursued such a goal.

Speaking at a democracy dialogue hosted by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Obasanjo dismissed the allegations as baseless and challenged anyone, living or dead, to provide proof.

“There is no Nigerian, dead or alive, who can say I ever approached them about a third term,” Obasanjo declared. “I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I knew how to go about it.”

Highlighting his administration’s successful push for international debt relief—a major economic achievement—Obasanjo said securing a third term would have been less difficult by comparison.

“I keep telling people: debt relief was tougher than getting a third term. If I achieved that, I could have done the other if I truly wanted to,” he added.

The former president also condemned the tendency of some leaders to cling to power, warning that no one is indispensable and that such a mindset is a “sin against God.”

“They say nobody else can do it, but when God removes you, someone else will take over—and that person might do even better,” he said. “Leadership is best handled by the young, vibrant, and idealistic—not those holding on despite diminishing capacity.”

Obasanjo served as Nigeria’s president from 1999 to 2007, completing the maximum two terms allowed by the constitution.