The Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), Yabagi Sani, has expressed scepticism over the promise by former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to serve only a single four-year term if elected president in 2027.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, Sani stated that northerners would find it difficult to believe Obi’s pledge, stressing that none of the potential 2027 presidential candidates, including Obi, is a saint.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, had told his supporters during an X Space on Sunday that he would honour an agreement to serve only one term if elected.
However, Sani argued that political realities often change once politicians assume office. “Yes, Mr Peter Obi can agree to say: ‘I am going to do one term,’ but northerners will tell you that after Bola Tinubu’s term, if he gets re-elected, power should return to the north,” he said.
He emphasised the principle of rotational presidency, noting that after eight years of southern leadership, the north should produce the next president. President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the South-West is expected to complete his first term in May 2027 and has declared his intention to seek re-election.
Sani added, “We are human beings. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Peter Obi is not a saint; he is not from another planet. We have seen successive governments trying to amend the constitution for third terms and similar extensions.”
He concluded that many Nigerians would doubt Obi’s commitment to a single term, citing the influence of incumbency, state capture, and political sentiments that often shape decisions in office.
