Human rights activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has endorsed the pledge by the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to serve only one term if elected president in 2027.
The New Daily Prime reported that the former Anambra State governor has consistently reiterated his commitment to a four-year tenure should he win the presidency.
Speaking on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, “Sunrise Daily” on Monday, Farotimi argued that Nigeria’s past leaders had squandered longer periods in office without making meaningful progress.
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He accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the late Muhammadu Buhari of wasting their eight years in power and leaving the country worse off.
“President Bola Tinubu has had two years, and he is already taking us back 50 years. It’s not really about how long a leader stays in office; it’s about what they achieve with the time they have,” he said.
Obasanjo served as Nigeria’s president from May 1999 to May 2007, while Buhari held office from May 2015 until May 2023, when he handed over to former Lagos State governor Tinubu.
Farotimi stressed that impactful governance does not require a prolonged stay in office.
He recalled first hearing Obi’s one-term proposal during the last election cycle, saying: “It’s not about how long he says he wants to serve; I’m more interested in what he intends to do with that time.”
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According to him, if he were ever to run for president, he would not need more than two years to accomplish everything he set out to do.
“You don’t need a long term to achieve lasting change, but the question should be: what does he intend to do with the one term?” the lawyer said.
