{
  "id": 5377092,
  "title": "‘Atiku told me he refused to support Obasanjo’s third term agenda’ – Kenneth Okonkwo",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/atiku-told-me-he-refused-to-support-obasanjos-third-term-agenda",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-03T17:29:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Post Nigeria",
    "slug": "daily-post-nigeria",
    "url": "https://dailypost.ng/2026/09/03/atiku-told-me-he-refused-to-support-obasanjos-third-term-agenda-kenneth-okonkwo/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kenneth Okonkwo, a campaign spokesman for Atiku Abubakar's presidential bid, has shed light on the rift between the former vice president and former President Olusegun Obasanjo. According to Okonkwo, Atiku revealed that Obasanjo harbored ambitions of a third term in office in 2007, and his refusal to endorse this agenda was the catalyst for their falling out. In an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Okonkwo recounted that Obasanjo had pledged never to cede power to Atiku following their disagreement. Obasanjo served as Nigeria's President from 1999 to 2007, during which time Atiku served as his Vice President. However, Okonkwo noted that some Nigerians oppose Atiku's potential presidency due to his desire to enhance the lives of citizens. The spokesperson explained, \"Nigerians are now seeing that the only reason they want to stop Atiku Abubakar is because he wants to come and make life better and pleasurable for Nigerians.\" He added, \"He did it before from 1999 to 2007, the best administration we have ever had, the one that improved the economy the most. They were paying off international debts, they were paying fuel subsidy while Nigeria was growing as the largest economy in Africa.\" Atiku had directly informed Okonkwo of Obasanjo's third term aspirations between 2005 and 2007, to which Obasanjo responded by stating that Atiku's refusal to support him would result in him not relinquishing power.",
  "summary": "Kenneth Okonkwo, a campaign spokesman of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has disclosed the reason for the disagreement between the former vice president and ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo. Okonkwo revealed that Atiku told him that Obasanjo was nursing a third term ambition in 2007 and his refusal to support the agenda led […] ‘Atiku told me he refused…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Post Nigeria",
        "title": "Revival of corruption allegations against Atiku politically motivated – Okonkwo",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/revival-of-corruption-allegations-against-atiku-politically-motivated",
        "published": "2026-09-03T20:21:16.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}