Peter Obi Calls for Five-Year Single Presidential Term

Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has proposed a five-year single term for Nigeria’s president, eliminating the option of re-election.

Speaking in Bauchi on Friday during a courtesy visit to Governor Bala Mohammed, Obi argued that the current four-year renewable term encourages political leaders to focus on securing a second tenure rather than governing effectively.

“I’ve said it before and I want to repeat it here — if I have the opportunity, there should be no second term for president. It should be five years straight, like in South Korea, so leaders come in knowing they have a job to do,” he said. “Right now, people spend one year governing and the rest planning for re-election. We must stop that — do your work and go.”

Obi, a declared 2027 presidential hopeful, pledged that if elected, he would serve only one term and not remain in office beyond four years. He also promised to strengthen Nigeria’s political system by ensuring political parties are more influential than the individuals in elected office.

“I want the party to be bigger than the president and governors so that we can have orderliness,” he stated.

In response, Governor Mohammed urged Obi to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying it is his “true political home” and that opposition parties must set aside ego and personal interests to unite for the good of Nigerians.