Peter Obi Proposes Single Five-Year Presidential Term for Nigeria

 

A file copy of former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi

Firstsitenews- Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has renewed his call for Nigeria to adopt a single five-year term for the presidency, scrapping the current two-term arrangement.

Speaking in Bauchi on Friday during a courtesy visit to Governor Bala Mohammed, Obi argued that the current system encourages leaders to prioritise re-election campaigns over governance. He suggested that Nigeria could emulate countries like South Korea, where presidents serve a single extended term.

"If I have the opportunity, we should stop having a second tenure for president. It should be five years straight so that people come in knowing they have a job to do. What people do now is to be president for one year and use the rest of the years thinking about their next tenure. We must stop it  do your job and go," he said.

Obi, who has indicated interest in the 2027 presidential race, pledged that if elected, he would serve only one term and “not spend a day longer than four years in office.” He also vowed to strengthen political party structures, ensuring parties remain more influential than the individuals elected under their platforms.

"I want the party to be bigger than the president and the governors so we can have orderliness," he added.

In response, Governor Mohammed urged Obi to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), calling it his political home.

"Please come back because that is where you belong. We want you to be in the PDP  there are plans, desires, and strategies," Mohammed said, stressing that Nigerian politics should move beyond ego, divisions, and personal interests, and urging opposition forces to unite for the nation’s good.