Orji Kalu calls Obasanjo a liar over third term denial

The lawmaker representing Abia North Senatorial District, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of lying about not seeking a third term in office.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Kalu said Obasanjo’s recent denial was false, recalling that the former president once invited him to the Presidential Villa to discuss his third term ambition.

“What Obasanjo said in Ghana, that he never wanted a third term, was a lie,” Kalu declared. “He called me to the Villa and told me he wanted a third term, and I told him no. That’s why he started having issues with me. We stopped him with the help of former US President Bush.”

Former President Obasanjo had earlier, at the 2025 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Annual Democracy Dialogue in Accra, Ghana, dismissed long-standing allegations that he sought to extend his stay in office beyond the constitutionally allowed two terms (1999–2007).

Obasanjo said he never pursued a third term, describing the rumours as baseless and noting that securing Nigeria’s debt relief during his tenure was a far greater political challenge.