Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, representing Abia North, has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of lying about never seeking a third term in office, claiming that the ex-president personally confided in him about his ambition to extend his tenure.
Obasanjo, during the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation’s Democracy Dialogue held in Accra, Ghana, in September, had dismissed the long-standing claims that he sought a third term as president.
“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 said at the event.
However, speaking on Channels Television’s Politics on Wednesday, Kalu rejected Obasanjo’s account, calling it “a naked lie” and insisting that several political figures from that period were aware of the truth.
“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 Abia State governor alleged that Obasanjo invited him to the Presidential Villa during his tenure to discuss plans to amend the constitution and enable him to contest for another term in office.
“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 claimed.
“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.”
Kalu further disclosed that his fallout with Obasanjo began after he openly opposed the alleged third term bid and informed several world leaders about the move.
“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 revealed.
“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.”
The senator alleged that while Obasanjo had succeeded in convincing some governors to support the plan, others, including himself, stood firmly against 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,” Kalu said.
