“I Would Have Got It”: Obasanjo Challenges Nigerians On Third Term Ambition
- Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has commented on his alleged third-term ambition
- Obasanjo challenged any Nigerian living or dead to provide evidence of his third-term ambition while in office
- According to Obasanjo, he would have gotten the third term as Nigerian president if he wanted it, as many claimed
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Accra, Ghana - Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has yet another dismissed claim that he sought a third term in office.
Obasanjo said no Nigerian, living or deceased, can provide evidence to substantiate that he requested a third term in office.
Source: Getty Images
As reported by Vanguard, Obasanjo stated this while speaking at the democracy dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.
Obasanjo challenged any individual or group that has evidence of his alleged third term to provide it to the public.
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The former president said he would have gotten a third term if he wanted it.
According to Obasanjo, securing debt relief for Nigeria was a far greater challenge for him than obtaining a third term in office.
“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.
“I keep telling them that, look, if I wanted to get debt relief, which is more difficult than getting a third term, and I got it, if I wanted a third term, I would have got it too.”
Obasanjo said leaders who overstay their tenure “sin against God” because they have the mindset of being indispensable.
He warned against leaders overstaying their tenure, stating that the best is done when you are young and vibrant.
“I know that the best is done when you are young, ideal and vibrant, and dynamic. When you are ‘kuje kuje’, you don’t have the best. But some people believe that unless they are there, nobody else,” he said.
“They will even tell you that they haven’t got anybody else. I believe that that is a sin against God, because if God takes you away, which God can do anytime, then somebody else will come, and that somebody else may do better or may do worse.”
Obasanjo opens up on third-term ambition.
Recall that Obasanjo clarified that he did not nurse a third-term ambition while in office, as claimed.
Obasanjo claimed some governors were the ones behind the ambition so that they could also remain in office for another term.
The former president of Nigeria's comment followed claims by Atiku Abubakar and Ken Nnamani that they were instrumental to the non-realisation of the ambition.
How I exposed Obasanjo’s third-term ambition
In a previous story, Legit.ng reported that Senator Ben Obi credited himself for exposing the alleged third-term bid of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He said he was a part of the system that started the permutation for the ex-President's third-term bid.
Meanwhile, ex-President Obasanjo has since denied the allegation that he asked for a third term in office.
Source: Legit.ng
