How Obasanjo Failed To Honour One-Term Agreement, Refused To Hand Over To Babangida – Orji Kalu
Former Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, has disclosed why his relationship with erstwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo went sour.
According to him, there was an agreement that Obasanjo would only serve one term in office.
He explained that the understanding was reached among himself, former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, and Obasanjo before the latter was supported to become president.
He, however, stated that Obasanjo allegedly failed to honour the agreement to serve only one term in office following his emergence as Nigeria’s president in 1999.
Egalitarian Voice reports that Kalu disclosed this during an appearance on Arise Television.
According to the former governor, the agreement was for Obasanjo to serve a single four-year term between 1999 and 2003 before handing power to Babangida.
He said, “I had a very good relationship with President Obasanjo, and it went sour. And it didn’t go sour because I wanted what I wanted to have as a person. It’s because I wanted something for all of us Nigerians.
“Because most of the things we discussed, he didn’t do. We discussed that he would be president for four years. We discussed that he would only do four years and leave, and another person would take over. We helped him a lot when he came out of prison. We maintained our support to make sure that he succeeded.”Kalu further explained that Obasanjo was expected to hand over power to another political bloc after completing his first term, noting that his emergence was partly intended to appease the South-West following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election and the death of its presumed winner, MKO Abiola.
He said the arrangement was also expected to allow power rotation to continue, with the presidency eventually returning to the North.
The former governor, however, clarified that he could not confirm reports suggesting that Babangida had considered making him vice president under the political arrangement.
“Whether he had given IBB to make me vice president, I don’t know. Man, I never thought about that. But the one you’re certain about is what I was certain about,” he added.
Reflecting on the political disagreement, Kalu said he was much younger at the time but has since grown older and become more concerned about the importance of keeping political agreements.
