Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has dismissed pledges by former governors Peter Obi and Rotimi Amaechi to serve only one term if elected president, insisting that four years is not enough to deliver meaningful reforms.
El-Rufai, speaking in a recent interview, said both men, who had governed their respective states, should know the time required to make lasting changes in government.
“Now, on the question of people coming out and saying, I will do one term, I don’t think anyone believes that. I don’t think it is right. You should not constitutionally give up what is yours,” he said.
He argued that politicians often change their minds once in office, and urged aspirants to refrain from making what he described as unrealistic promises.
“So, I want to appeal to everyone to stop making these commitments of ‘I will do four years’ or ‘I will do eight years’, because nobody believes you,” he added.
Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, has repeatedly said he would serve only one term if elected in 2027, arguing that purposeful leadership is measured by impact, not tenure length.
Similarly, Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation now in the African Democratic Congress, recently declared that he would step down after four years to promote rotation and stability if given his party’s presidential ticket.
El-Rufai also explained that his support for a power shift to the South in the 2023 election stemmed from an agreement reached by All Progressives Congress leaders at the party’s formation.
