How Masari and I rejected N650m offer to support Obasanjo’s third term – Farouq Aliyu

Former House of Representatives Minority Leader Farouq Aliyu has claimed he rejected a N250 million bribe offered to secure his support for former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s controversial third term agenda — revealing for the first time the scale of financial inducements allegedly deployed to push through a constitutional amendment that was ultimately defeated in May 2006.

Speaking on the Naija Unfiltered podcast published on YouTube on Friday, Aliyu insisted that Obasanjo’s widely denied third term bid was real and confirmed that significant sums of money changed hands among lawmakers to buy their support.

“Third term agenda was real. In fact, 250 million was given to me. I did not take it,” he said.

Aliyu revealed that then-Speaker Aminu Masari was offered N400 million and also declined. Former Majority Leader Abdul Ningi was similarly offered N400 million and reportedly turned it down. Rank-and-file lawmakers, he said, were paid a minimum of N50 million each.

“N50 million was dashed to small fries. They paid minimum of N50 million,” Aliyu said.

According to Daily Trust, he disclosed that the meeting that led to the bribe offer was arranged through Nuhu Ribadu, who was then chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, though he declined to name the individual who made the offer.

Aliyu credited late former President Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume with playing prominent roles in thwarting the third term bid.

Obasanjo has repeatedly denied pursuing a third term in office.