Kalu, in a statement on Thursday, said Obasanjo should not “annoy the gods,” insisting that it was the intervention of the United States government that stopped his third-term bid in 2006.
“With due respect to President Obasanjo, what he said in Ghana was false. People like David Mark and Ogheha are still alive. Even the then National Security Adviser knew he was lying,” Kalu stated.
He revealed that former Senator Uche Chukwumerije once brought ₦50 million to support Obasanjo’s third-term agenda, which he refused. “He offered ₦50 million to them. I told him to take it back,” Kalu added.
According to Kalu, he personally informed former South African President Thabo Mbeki and then U.S. President George W. Bush about Obasanjo’s third-term ambition, which prompted their intervention.
“I was the one who told Presidents Thabo Mbeki and Bush. They both called him. I also told Mandela about it. That was where my problem with him started,” he said.
Kalu also claimed that Obasanjo tried to convince several governors, including current President Bola Tinubu, to support the third-term plan, but many of them resisted.
“Let President Obasanjo not annoy the gods of our land because he wanted a third term and they stopped him,” Kalu warned. “The beauty of democracy is term limit. Anyone who wants to go beyond eight years is challenging God.”
He maintained that the United States played a major role in thwarting the third-term move, adding that Nigeria should be grateful to America “for standing on the side of truth and democracy.”
Kalu further accused Obasanjo of removing some political figures, including former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, over their opposition to the plan.
“Our Constitution is supreme. We stopped him because of it,” Kalu concluded.
