Bugaje counters Obasanjo’s third term denial, says ‘threats’, ‘money’ were used

Obasanjo

Political activist and former federal lawmaker, Dr. Usman Bugaje, has countered former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s denial of seeking a third term in office, insisting that the ex-president “did everything within his power” to extend his stay.

Obasanjo, while speaking at a democracy dialogue hosted by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Ghana last week, dismissed the long-debated controversy, saying:

“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,” he had said.

However, appearing on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Monday, Bugaje, who was a member of the National Assembly during Obasanjo’s administration, maintained that lawmakers at the time had direct knowledge of the third-term plot.

“I can confirm to you that Obasanjo looked for a third term. He did everything that he could within his power to get a third term, but he failed to do so,” Bugaje said.

The former lawmaker argued that Obasanjo’s defence was unconvincing, adding that Obasanjo’s agents threatened many lawmakers during that time.

“Now, the fact that he did not take a telephone to make a particular call to anybody is not sufficient evidence that he did not look for a third term. It’s just a matter of style, but all of us in the National Assembly at that time knew beyond any doubt that he worked day and night, and many of us were threatened by his own agents,” he said. Punch