I would have gotten third term if I had wanted it—Obasanjo brags

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has again refuted long-standing speculation that he sought a third term as Nigeria’s democratic president.

Obasanjo, who ruled both as a military head of state and later as a civilian president from 1999 to 2007, clarified that he never had any intention of extending his tenure.

In an exclusive interview with News Central Thursday, the former president stated that securing a third term would not have been difficult if he had wanted it.

He explained that if he had pursued a third term, some state governors harbouring similar ambitions would have followed suit.

Obasanjo emphasised that his administration prioritised securing debt relief for Nigeria, an effort that required diplomatic negotiations with countries including France, the United Kingdom, Japan, and the United States.

He stressed that achieving debt relief was a more challenging task than seeking a third term as a democratic president.

He said, “If I had wanted a third term, I would have got it. I didn’t want a third term. I know some governors who were working for this, believing that if I, as president, got a third, they would also get it.

“Getting debt relief is much more difficult than getting a third term. Getting a third term wouldn’t involve me going to France, America, Japan , Italy, and Germany to virtually beg,” he said.