Former Abia State Governor, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has publicly challenged the account of former President Olusegun Obasanjo regarding his alleged Third Term agenda, labeling the former president’s recent comments as “a naked lie” and “a naked fallacy.” Kalu went further to claim that the United States government played a decisive role in stopping the controversial political move.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Kalu insisted that the attempt to extend the presidential term beyond the constitutional limit was very real. He urged Obasanjo not to “annoy the gods of our land” and reminded him that the beauty of democracy lies in term limits. “With due respect to President Obasanjo, what he said in Ghana was false. People like David Mark and Ogheha are still alive,” Kalu maintained, claiming that even the then National Security Adviser knew the former President was not truthful.
Kalu provided a specific anecdote, alleging that former Senator Uche Chukwumerije once brought N50 million to support the Third Term bid, which Kalu claims he rejected.
The former Governor also asserted that he personally informed then-South African President Thabo Mbeki and U.S. President George W. Bush about Obasanjo’s plans, prompting their intervention. “I was the one who told Presidents Thabo Mbeki and Bush. They both called him. I also told Mandela about it. That was where my problem with him started,” he claimed.
Kalu stressed that the success in blocking the agenda was due to adherence to the constitution and the support of the U.S. “Nigeria must be grateful to the United States of America, who stood for what was right and for the good of the nation,” he said. He concluded that the move was stopped because of the constitution, which remains the “ultimate” legal document.
