Obasanjo said on a Channels Television programme, network Africa, monitored by our correspondent that the third term idea did not in any way emanate from him.
He said the botched tenure elongation amendment clause was actually initiated by the national Assembly.
He said that if the third term agenda had emanated from him, it would have come as an executive bill, rather than being included in the planned (more than 100) amendments to the constitution at that time.
He argued that neither his National Assembly Liaison Officer, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, nor the public office holders, who were close to him at
the time, could come out to tell Nigerians that they received instruction from him to work for a third tenure.
He said even the former deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who alerted the people to a third term agenda, did not mention the name of the person who gave him the hint.
Obasanjo recalled that the former Senate Leader, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu, under whose responsibility it was to present such a bill and who was chairman of the Constitution Amendment Committee, did not tell Nigerians that he received a directive from the former President to pursue a third term agenda.
He said that those accusing him of the third term agenda were not only unfair but were also mischief makers.
He said, “It is the role of the National Assembly to amend the constitution. Third term was one of the over 100 clauses that they included in that amendment; Over 100 clauses and they initiated it.
“It was not an executive bill, so you are extremely wrong. If I wanted a third term, that bill would have come from me.
“My Liaison Officer (Senator Florence Ita-Giwa) told the whole world that there was no day I called her to say go and work for a third term. Even Atiku (Alhaji Abubakar Atiku), who said some people told him that there was a third term agenda, has not mentioned the name of the person who told him.
“None of the people who were close to me will ever tell you that I told them to go and work for me for a third term.
“Even Mantu (Ibrahim Mantu), who was the Leader of the Senate and who, of course, was the one to present the bill emanating from anywhere (but this one came from the Senate itself), has never said I called him to say that I wanted a third term.
“So, all of you talking about third term are very unfair… you are mischievous and you are… I don’t know what else to call you.”
Obasanjo said that if he wanted a third tenure in office, he would have got it as he would have gone about it in a way that would have made it possible.
The former President said he planned to relinquish the position of PDP BOT chairman immediately after the last general elections, but was persuaded to put it on hold until after the party’s national convention.
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