President George W. Bush of America Warns President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria

PRESIDENT GEORGE W.BUSH
The latest news in town is that the President of America, George Walker Bush has warned the President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo not to attempt staying in power beyond his second term of office when it ends in 2007.

There are rumours of the speculations that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo wants to go for a third term in office contrary to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And his political mafia is working hard to manipulate the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to make it possible for him to extend his stay in office to the third term.

Let me just warn Chief Olusegun Obasanjo that if he is in hurry to join his beloved wife Mrs. Stella Obasanjo, he should continue with his subtle plans to extend his second term in office.
PRESIDENT GEORGE W.BUSH AND PRESIDENT OLUSEGUN OBASANJO.

US president advises Nigeria's Obasanjo against third term:

LAGOS, Nov. 17 (Xinhuanet)
US President George W. Bush has advised his Nigerian counterpart Olusegun Obasanjo against seeking a third term in office, as lawmakers reportedly tried to amend the constitution to extend Obasanjo's tenure, a private newspaper reported Thursday.

The Punch newspaper quoted a diplomatic source as saying Bush in a letter dated on October 24 urged Obasanjo to respect his country's constitution and hand over the baton to a new civilian leader in 2007.

"He (Bush) said it was important to have a transition government from one civilian government to another civilian government ... The message from Bush was clear and unambiguous," the source added.

Obasanjo's spokesman Femi Fani-Kayode denied that a warning letter had been received from Bush, telling the newspaper that the letter is "purely a case of someone's wildest imagination."

Spokesman for the US embassy in Nigeria Rudolph Stewart neither denied nor confirmed the information on the letter.

Obasanjo, who took office in 1999 and won reelection in 2003, has repeatedly said he would hand over the baton in 2007 and go back to his own farm raising poultry and birds. He once did the unthinkable by voluntarily handing over power to an elected government in 1979 after three years as a military leader.

But his supporters are reportedly seeking to amend the 1999 constitution so that Obasanjo has a third term. The speculation escalated Wednesday when a critic of the proposal was removed from a National Assembly sub-committee that has been working on a constitutional amendment since 2003. End item