Contrary to his public posturing, former President Olusegun Obasanjo wanted and actually worked for the elongation of tenure of office in 2006/2007.
Former Defence Minister and Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, revealed that Obasanjo personally approached him to enlist in the crusade to have a third term after the mandatory two-term of four years in office.
Indeed, according to Danjuma in an exclusive interview with The Guardian, Obasanjo's intention to extend his tenure as president was the second of such attempts, the first being in 1979 when, as Head of State, he wanted to abort the military hand over to civilians planned for that year.
That ambition was, however, thwarted when he (Danjuma), as the Chief of Army Staff, refused to endorse the proposal first routed to him through the then Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, Gen. Shehu Musa Yar'Adua.
In the second instalment of a four-hour encounter that has continued to generate heated debate in the polity since last week, Danjuma stated that the former president wanted to prolong his tenure on the pretext that his deputy, Atiku Abubakar, was unworthy of succeeding him.
He said Obasanjo had accused Atiku of corruption and disloyalty. While he was also unsparing of Atiku's alleged fraudulent practices and contended that he (Atiku) dug his own political grave; Danjuma said that Obasanjo was a candidate for prison for alleged abuse of office.
On the controversial third term, Danjuma disclosed that Obasanjo had approached him twice; first to complain about Atiku and his desire to shop for a successor among the governors.
The second time was when the former president put the cards of 'third term' on the table on the excuse that he (Obasanjo) needed to "induct" whoever was chosen to replace Atiku as Vice President.
But Danjuma said he turned down Obasanjo's request to back him on the tenure elongation, warning him, "we'd make sure that you leave when your tenure is over; we'd defeat this coup bid to extend your stay."
Similar refusal by Danjuma to endorse Obasanjo's plan to abort the military hand over date to civilians saw Obasanjo clinching the enviable tag of the first military Head of State to relinquish power willingly.
But for Danjuma, who said that he had cautioned that the three of them – Obasanjo (Head of State), Yar'Adua (Chief of Staff) and himself (Chief of Army Staff) must resign their posts for new officers, Obasanjo could not have handed over power to civilians, as scheduled in 1979.
By Akpo Esajere (Group Political Editor)
The Guardian
Sunday, February 24, 2008
