A lawyer and human rights activist, Dele Farotimi, has shared his thoughts on the proposed one-term presidency by the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi.
Farotimi said that it was not the first time the former Governor of Anambra State was making the proposal, noting that Obi also said it during the 2023 election cycle.
However, he said that Obi’s motive for the proposal should be interrogated, adding that the issue is beyond mere declarations.
“A man says he’s going to spend one term. One term to do what? I think we should ask that question,” he said in an interview published by Channels Television on Sunday night.
“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 added.
However, Farotimi added that someone who already has his plans for the country penned down would not require many years to execute them and bring about the needed change.
According to him, some people like former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari completed two terms in office without doing anything, while the current administration had spent over two years in office with nothing to show for it.
“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 said.
Peter Obi had announced that he would only do a one term of 4 years as President of Nigeria and return power to the north in accordance with the gentleman agreement between the north and south since a southern president is already in power.
Obi’s proposal has since received a wide range of reactions, with some people saying the former Governor of Anambra State was becoming too ambitious.
