Farotimi Questions Peter Obi’s One-Term Presidency Proposal

Human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, has weighed in on the proposed one-term presidency put forward by the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi.

Speaking in an interview published by Channels Television on Sunday night, Farotimi noted that this was not the first time the former Anambra State governor had made such a pledge. He recalled that Obi floated the same idea during the 2023 election cycle.

While acknowledging the proposal, the lawyer argued that the motive behind Obi’s promise needed deeper interrogation.

According to him, Nigerians should not only focus on the declaration itself but ask critical questions about the substance of Obi’s plans for the country.

“A man says he’s going to spend one term. One term to do what? I think we should ask that question,” Farotimi stated.

He went on to stress the difference between ambition and vision. “If I have a vision that can be contained within my lifetime, then it’s not a vision, it’s just an ambition. If it’s a vision, I will need my children’s children to complete that task.

So, if a man says, ‘I’m going to run for one term,’ I am more interested in asking questions about his plans. What would you do with the one term?” he queried.

Farotimi, however, acknowledged that a leader with well-documented policies could achieve significant results within four years. He contrasted this with past leaders who served full terms but failed to make meaningful impact.

“Obasanjo had eight years; what did he do with them? Buhari had eight years; what did he do with it? He ruined Nigeria.

Tinubu has had two years, he’s taking us back like 50 years. So, it’s not really about how much time the person spends; it’s a function of what they are doing with the time that they have,” he remarked.

Peter Obi had earlier explained that his decision to commit to only one term was in line with the gentleman’s agreement on power rotation between the North and South.

He argued that since a southern president is currently in office, he would, if elected, spend only four years before returning power to the North.

The proposal has continued to generate mixed reactions across the country.

While some analysts see Obi’s pledge as a bold step towards addressing concerns over zoning and inclusivity, others have criticised it, describing him as overly ambitious.

At the time of filing this report, Obi had not issued a further clarification on how his proposed one-term presidency would be implemented in practical terms.