How Obasanjo Bribed Governors and Planned to Rule for Third Term, Orji Kalu Details
- Senator Orji Kalu says former President Olusegun Obasanjo personally informed him of plans to amend the constitution for a third term in office
- Kalu alleges he was offered ₦50 million to support the move but declined, adding that global leaders were alerted to Obasanjo’s intentions
- The senator insists Nigeria’s history must not be rewritten by political elites seeking to deny their past actions
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of lying about never seeking a third term in office, claiming the former leader personally informed him of the plan during his time in power.
Kalu, who represents Abia North Senatorial District, made the allegation while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday. He insisted that contrary to Obasanjo’s public denial, the third term agenda was real and known to several key political figures of that period
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Kalu claims Obasanjo planned constitutional amendment
"With due respect to President Obasanjo, what he said in Ghana was a naked lie, a naked fallacy. Many people who were part of that period are still alive — David Mark is alive, others are alive. They know the truth,” Kalu said.
The former president had, during the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation’s Democracy Dialogue in Accra last month, dismissed allegations that he once sought to extend his stay in power beyond two terms.
“There is no Nigerian dead or alive that would say I called him and told him I wanted a third term. I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it,” Obasanjo had said.
But Kalu maintained that the ex-president’s statement was false. He alleged that Obasanjo invited him to the Presidential Villa while he was governor of Abia State to discuss the plan to amend the constitution and clear the path for another tenure.
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“He invited me to the Villa and told me about the third term. Senator Uche Chukwumerije brought ₦50 million, which they shared, and they asked me if I would take as a governor,” Kalu said.
“I said no — go and give it back. Even the national security adviser (Nuhu Ribadu) would know Obasanjo was lying; he was at the centre of it all.”
The senator explained that his fallout with the former president began after he rejected the plan and decided to alert world leaders about it.
“My quarrel with him started when I told Presidents Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and George Bush of the United States that Obasanjo was running for a third term,” he added.
"I even told Nelson Mandela, may his soul rest in peace. They all confronted him. I don’t know why Nigeria should be built on lies by statesmen.”
Kalu claimed that while some governors at the time were swayed by the proposal, he and a few others refused to support it.
He had already convinced some governors, but people like me and a few others said no. I am a committed Christian. I took an oath with the Bible to serve for only eight years, and that was the end of it,” he said.
Obasanjo explains why he rejected English name
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that former President Olusegun Obasanjo explained he no longer identifies with the name "Matthew," given by his parents, saying he simply doesn't like it and prefers his traditional Yoruba names.
At his 88th birthday event in Abeokuta, Obasanjo urged Africans to discard colonial influences, including foreign names, as part of breaking free from the legacies of slavery and colonialism.
Launching two new books, Obasanjo described himself as an "incurable optimist," expressing strong belief that Nigeria will achieve greatness within his lifetime.
Source: Legit.ng
