Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of lying about never pursuing a third term in office. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Kalu claimed that Obasanjo personally confided in him during his presidency about plans to seek a third term.
“He called me to the Villa and told me he wanted a third term, and I told him no,” Kalu stated. “That’s why he started having issues with me. We stopped him with the help of former U.S. President Bush.”
Kalu’s comments follow Obasanjo’s recent remarks at the 2025 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Annual Democracy Dialogue in Ghana, where the former president denied ever harboring such ambitions, calling the claims baseless.
Obasanjo said his focus during his 1999–2007 tenure was on national development, especially securing Nigeria’s debt relief. Kalu’s revelation has reignited debate over the controversial third-term agenda that stirred intense political discourse in Nigeria during the mid-2000s.
