Former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Farouq Aliyu, has alleged that he and former Speaker Aminu Masari rejected a combined ₦650 million offered to secure their support for former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s third-term bid.
Aliyu made the allegation during an interview on the ‘Naija Unfiltered’ podcast published on YouTube on Friday, insisting that the controversial third-term agenda was real despite Obasanjo’s repeated denial that he sought to remain in office beyond 2007.
According to Aliyu, the then Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nuhu Ribadu, contacted him during discussions over the proposed constitutional amendment and asked him to come to Abuja for a meeting with Obasanjo.
He said he initially rejected Ribadu’s request but later agreed to meet the former president, where he discussed the proposed third term and maintained that the plan would not succeed.
Aliyu said he was subsequently directed by Ribadu to meet an unnamed person who offered him ₦250 million to support the agenda, but he rejected the money.
“Third term agenda was real. In fact, 250 million was given to me. I did not take it,” he said.
The former lawmaker further alleged that Masari, who was Speaker of the House at the time, was offered ₦400 million to support the bid and also rejected the money. He claimed that then Majority Leader Abdul Ningi was offered another ₦400 million.
“Masari, who was the Speaker then, 400 million was offered. He did not take it. Abdul Ningi, the majority leader, 400 million naira was offered to him. He did not take it.
“N50 million was dashed to small fries. They paid a minimum of N50 million.”
Aliyu did not disclose the identity of the person who allegedly offered him the ₦250 million.
He also alleged that other lawmakers were offered a minimum of ₦50 million to support the proposed constitutional amendment.
The third-term controversy was one of the major political disputes of Obasanjo’s administration, which lasted from 1999 to 2007.
In May 2006, the National Assembly rejected proposed constitutional amendments that would have enabled Obasanjo to seek a third consecutive term. Obasanjo has repeatedly denied pursuing such an extension.
Aliyu further credited the late former military Head of State Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume with playing prominent roles in frustrating the proposed constitutional amendment.
The National Assembly’s rejection of the amendment in 2006 ultimately meant Obasanjo left office in 2007 after completing the two presidential terms permitted under the Constitution.
