Ex-Senator Olusola Adeyeye has revealed shocking details about how Olusegun Obasanjo’s third-term bid was fueled by N70 million bribes for lawmakers. He claims he escaped five assassination attempts for rejecting the offer. Read the full details now.
Former Senator Olusola Adeyeye, who represented Osun Central, has made explosive revelations about former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s alleged attempt to secure an unconstitutional third term in office. According to Adeyeye, lawmakers were offered a staggering N70 million each to support the controversial bid. His refusal to accept the bribe, he claimed, led to five assassination attempts on his life and forced him into hiding for two years.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics, Adeyeye provided an insider’s account of how the failed third-term agenda unfolded in 2006. The former senator, who was among those who fiercely opposed the move, said the National Assembly was infiltrated with bribes to amend the 1999 Constitution and extend the presidential term limit.
“I was the one who broke the news. In fact, I had given the news conferences twice, but newspapers didn’t take it seriously,” Adeyeye disclosed.
He narrated how lawmakers met in a packed hall to discuss the unfolding situation when he first heard rumors that N50 million would be disbursed to each lawmaker. However, a principal officer corrected him, stating that the actual amount was N70 million per legislator.
“So, I said if that is the case, we would lose this battle; Obasanjo would win. Because the only way we should act to make sure Obasanjo lost this battle was for us to make as much noise as possible. The press, the unions, the academia—everybody had to join us in fighting Obasanjo,” he explained.
In a bombshell claim, Adeyeye alleged that he was the only lawmaker from Osun state who refused the money.
“I am the only one from Osun who did not take money. Every member of the Senate and House of Representatives from Osun took the money. And I knew the one who gave them the money,” he revealed.
He clarified that although no money was handed out at their meeting, he was aware of the transactions that followed.
“What I said was that money would be given, and was money given? Oh yes! Not only was money given, but many even fought over the money,” Adeyeye stated.
Adeyeye’s opposition to the third-term bid did not go unnoticed. He claimed that in the wake of his revelations, his house, as well as the residences of his colleagues, were raided. Worse still, he became a target of assassination attempts.
“I suffered more than any Nigerian legislator because of the third term. I could not live in my house for two years. I escaped five assassination attempts,” he disclosed.
To survive, Adeyeye said he had to hide in the houses of five different friends at various times.
The former senator credited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with advising him on how to stay alive during that dangerous period. According to him, Tinubu gave him life-saving security strategies.
“I went to his house one day and said, ‘Look, I need a bulletproof vehicle,’ and he told me what to do,” Adeyeye said.
“One of the things he told me was: Go and get many used cars—different colors and shapes. If I were coming to your house, I would park a car in your house first. When I arrived, I would greet everyone in a green Honda Accord, but when leaving, I would use a different vehicle parked in your house, like a Mercedes Benz or Toyota. That was how I survived for those few years.”
The former senator also expressed sadness over the strained relationship between President Tinubu and Rauf Aregbesola, a former governor of Osun State.
“It makes me sad that things are not working out between Aregbesola and Tinubu. They were so close,” he lamented.
Recalling their past relationship, Adeyeye said: “I was at a meeting in which Tinubu said: ‘If you see me sleeping and you see Rauf coming with a dagger or a knife, don’t wake me up, Rauf will never injure me.’”
Despite efforts to reconcile the two political figures, Adeyeye admitted that so far, all attempts have been unsuccessful.
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