By Sikiru Obarayese
The Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), Yabagi Sani, has expressed strong scepticism regarding Peter Obi’s recent pledge to serve only a single four-year term if elected president in 2027.
Speaking on Channels Television’s “The Morning Brief” programme on Tuesday, Sani suggested that such a commitment would be “difficult for a lot of people to believe,” particularly in the northern region of Nigeria.
Sani cast doubt on the sincerity of any politician’s promise to limit their time in office. “But we are human beings. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Peter Obi is not a saint; he is not somebody who is from another planet,” he asserted.
Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, stated during an X Space session with his followers on Sunday that he intends to contest the 2027 presidential election and promised to comply with an agreement to remain in office for only four years if he wins.
However, Sani countered Obi’s pledge by referencing the deeply entrenched principle of power rotation in Nigerian politics.
“Yes, Mr Peter Obi can agree to say: ‘I am going to do one term’ but the northerners will tell you that after Bola Tinubu’s term, if he gets the (second) election, it should come to the north,” Sani explained.
Given that President Bola Tinubu, from the South-West, is currently in his first four-year term and is seeking re-election, Sani implied that the North would expect the presidency to return to their region following an eight-year rule by the South.
He pointed to historical precedents where “successive governments trying to see how they can turn the constitution around and give themselves a third term and things like that.”
The IPAC chair further emphasized that the dynamics of power often change significantly once politicians assume office.
“But we are human beings. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Peter Obi is not a saint; he is not somebody who is from another planet. We have seen successive governments trying to see how they can turn the constitution around and give themselves a third term and things like that.
“This is why it would be difficult for a lot of people to believe Mr Peter Obi that after one term, he would leave. And then how would he even succeed if you look at the sentimental aspect of it, the state capture, and power of incumbency.”
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