Some Governors Also Wanted Third Term — Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has again opened up on his controversial third term bid, saying some state governors also wanted tenure extension.

Obasanjo had severally denied plans to seek extension of his stay in office beyond 2007, but blamed some governors as the brains behind the third term agenda.

He said this during an interview with Chude Jideonwo, the media personality.

The former President also opened up on his time in office and his government’s anti-corruption battle.

“The governors, some of them, were doing it for themselves. Because if the president did a third term, they too would have had a chance for a third term,” Obasanjo said while responding to question on his failed third term bid.

In 2006, a bill to amend the 1999 constitution and extend term limits by another four years, failed to pass at the National Assembly.

Former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, had declared that lawmakers in the fifth National Assembly, “sacrificed” their legislative careers after seeing to the truncation of the controversial third term bid.

Speaking on allegations of corruption against him, Obasanjo said his forte is raising money and not embezzlement.

He noted that people who could not match his acumen should stop castigating him.

The elder statesman also described the claim of him attempting to cripple Lagos state economy under Bola Tinubu as “utter nonsense”.

“That is utter nonsense; if he doesn’t know that, he doesn’t know anything… Is that what makes him to own Alphabeta firm?”

On being vindictive against former Governor of Delta state, James Ibori, Obasanjo said Ibori was investigated and found to have misappropriated over $200 million.

The former President said Ibori tried to compromise the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission under the Chairmanship of Nuhu Ridabu with $15 million, but the money was deposited at CBN as exhibit.

Ribadu is incumbent Security adviser to President Tinubu.