Govt To Support Obasanjo's Third Term Bid?

The Ghana government has refused to be drawn into a current debate on whether Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, should be allowed to run for a third term in office.

Reports suggest that Mr. Obasanjo?s supporters have been putting pressure on legislators to amend the country?s constitution to allow him to run for a third term.

The issue came up at Thursday?s media briefing at the Castle.

According to the Press Secretary to the President, Kwabena Agyepong, President Kufuor believes that the Nigerian president is not violating any constitutional rules.

?That is why we have our sovereign Parliament where our representatives are. Unless you are saying that the Constitution be derailed, what else can we do? The British don?t have a term limit that is their style of governance; the American has a term limit.

Ghana has decided to have a term limit. Nigeria has a term limit, they want to change it, I mean once we are going through the proper channels we are doing things right. It should be acceptable,? he said.

Nigeria's parliament is currently discussing a proposal for constitutional amendments, which, if approved, could allow the presidential to go for a third term.

The issue has generated a heated debate in Nigeria since the amendments were tabled in the National Assembly.

Any constitutional amendment needs to be approved by parliamentarians and two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 states.