Former Senate President Adolphus Wabara has reaffirmed his claim that he refused a N250 million bribe to support the controversial third-term agenda during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.
In an excerpt from the YouTube interview series “Untold Stories with Adesuwa,” released on Monday, Wabara stood by his previous statements, saying, “That’s very correct” when asked about the bribe.
Wabara elaborated on the political environment at the time, stating, “Then when they were saying they were distributing N50 million per Senator, I didn’t believe it.”
He also clarified the circumstances surrounding his departure from office. “First of all, I was not removed by Obasanjo, I resigned,” Wabara asserted. When the interviewer suggested there might have been pressure for his resignation, Wabara replied, “No, there was even no pressure.”
Emphasizing the importance of rejecting the third-term agenda, Wabara said, “Without people like us, there wouldn’t be democracy now. If we had supported the third term, we would have had dictatorship and tyranny. People like Buhari wouldn’t have emerged. Even the present Tinubu would not have emerged because Obasanjo would have still been there.”
Wabara also discussed the broader implications of their actions and the continued struggles faced by the Igbo people. “We have not been forgiven for what we did not cause, the Biafra War. It wasn’t our fault, but the propaganda is that the Igbos cannot be trusted,” he said.
The full interview has yet to be released, but Wabara’s comments highlight the enduring impact of political decisions and the ongoing challenges in Nigerian politics.
