Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called for a constitutional change to introduce a single five-year term for the Office of the President in Nigeria.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, on Friday, Peter Obi argued that the current two-term system should be scrapped in favour of a model similar to South Korea’s, which would allow leaders to focus solely on governance.
“I’ve said it before, and I want to repeat it here at the Government House — if I have the opportunity, we should end the idea of a second term for the President. It should be a single five-year term so that leaders come in, focus, and do the work required of them. What we see now is that a President governs for one year and then spends the remaining years focusing on re-election. We must put an end to that. Let them do their job and move on,” he said.
Looking ahead to the 2027 elections, Peter Obi reaffirmed his earlier promise to serve only one term if elected President, insisting he would not exceed four years in office.
He also underscored the importance of building strong political institutions, pledging to ensure political parties operate independently and without undue influence from elected officials.
“I want political parties to be bigger than the President and Governors. That way, we can ensure discipline and order,” he added.
