Former President Olusegun has stated that if he wanted a third term as president, he would have gotten it.
In a live coverage by News Central TV from 47:03, Obasanjo stated that while he was in office, some governors supported the idea of extending his presidency beyond the constitutionally allowed two terms, hoping it would also enable them to secure a third term in their respective offices.
Obasanjo mentioned that securing debt relief for Nigeria was much harder than getting a third term would have been. He noted that debt relief required him to personally visit and negotiate with leaders in countries like France, England, America, Japan, Italy, and Germany.
In Obasanjo’s words: “If wanted a 3rd term, I would have gotten it. I know some governors who worked for this, believing that if I as president got a third term, then they would automatically get a third term as governors. But I didn’t want the third term, if I wanted the third term I would have gotten it. Getting debt relief is much more difficult than getting a third term. Getting a third term would not involve me going to France, England, America, Japan, Italy and Germany to beg”.