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

Speaking at a democracy dialogue hosted by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Ghana last week, Obasanjo 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.”

But appearing on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Monday, Bugaje, who served in the National Assembly during Obasanjo’s administration, said lawmakers at the time had firsthand knowledge of a coordinated third-term push.

“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 declared.

The former lawmaker argued that Obasanjo’s explanation was evasive, noting that his agents intimidated lawmakers and used financial inducements to secure support.

“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.

Bugaje cited the case of Senator Victor Lar, then leader of the Northern caucus of the House of Representatives, who, according to him, had to go into hiding several times ahead of a decisive meeting to resist the third-term proposal.

“Those people who actually distributed the money and threatened us are alive. Those who received the money are alive. Those who refused to receive the money are alive. There is sufficient evidence… this is a matter that is incontrovertible. There is no way he can deny it,” Bugaje stressed.

The “third-term agenda” dominated Nigeria’s political landscape in 2006 when an amendment to the 1999 Constitution, which would have allowed presidents to seek three consecutive terms, was presented to the National Assembly.

Although the amendment contained other proposals, it was widely believed to have been sponsored by Obasanjo’s allies. It was eventually thrown out after heated debates in both chambers, with civil society groups, opposition leaders, and even members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party opposing it as a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.

The failure of the bid paved the way for the 2007 general elections that brought in the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as Obasanjo’s successor.

Despite repeated denials, the controversy has resurfaced over the years. In his 2023 New Year message, Obasanjo insisted he never lobbied for a third term, saying he was “audacious enough” to have secured it if he had wanted.

But some key political figures have contradicted him. Former Senate President Adolphus Wabara once claimed he rejected a N250 million bribe allegedly offered to secure his support for the agenda. Similarly, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said his influence within the National Assembly helped block Obasanjo’s third-term bid.