Former President Muhammadu Buhari played a crucial role in foiling former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s third-term bid in 2006, according to Osita Okechukwu, a former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON).

In a statement he personally signed, Okechukwu revealed that Buhari held strategic meetings with leaders and members of the National Assembly, ensuring that lawmakers did not allow the third-term plot to stand.

“Buhari’s steadfast opposition, strategic meetings with National Assembly members, ensured that National Assembly did not allow the 3rd Term plot to stand,” Okechukwu said.

Buhari reportedly reinforced former Senate President Ken Nnamani and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Masari, to appreciate the support of the greatest number of Nigerians.

This move ultimately led to the demise of the one-party state plot, despite alleged bribes of N50 million to each National Assembly member.

“It is with nostalgia that one remembers how Buhari rose to his feet when news filtered out that Obasanjo was allegedly plotting for 3rd Term, in 2006. This is the death kneel of One-Party State, in spite of N50 million handout allegedly doled out to each member of the National Assembly,” Okechukwu recalled.

The APC chieftain added that Buhari’s actions halted the institutionalisation of a one-party state, marking a significant moment in Nigeria’s democratic history.

“This brief cursory analysis is how Buhari utilised his arsenal and halted the institutionalisation of One-Party State,” he explained. (Saturday Tribune)