Masari and I Rejected N650m Offer to Back Obasanjo’s Third Term, Says Farouq Aliyu

Former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Farouq Aliyu, has revealed that he and Speaker Aminu Masari both rejected hefty sums of money offered to them to support former President Olusegun Obasanjo's third term ambition. The third term controversy was a contentious issue during Obasanjo's presidency from 1999 to 2007. In May 2006, the National Assembly rejected a bill to amend Nigeria's constitution, which would have allowed Obasanjo to run for a third consecutive term.

During a podcast interview, Aliyu stated that he was approached by Nuhu Ribadu, the EFCC chairman, to meet with Obasanjo regarding the third term agenda. Initially, Aliyu declined Ribadu's request but eventually agreed to meet with the former president. During their discussions, Aliyu claimed that the bid for a third term was real and insisted that it would not be successful.

Aliyu mentioned that he was offered N250 million to back the third term agenda, which he did not accept. Furthermore, he revealed that Masari rejected a N400 million offer, and the lawmakers were given a minimum of N50 million to support the agenda. The former lawmaker did not disclose the identity of the person who offered the N250 million.

However, he did mention that prominent figures, including late President Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, played crucial roles in thwarting the third term bid.