Human rights lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi has thrown his weight behind Peter Obi’s proposal for a single-term presidency, arguing that long tenures have failed to deliver meaningful change in Nigeria.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Farotimi criticised former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari for wasting their eight years in office.
“Obasanjo had eight years what did he do with it? Buhari had eight years what did he do with it? He ruined Nigeria. Tinubu has had two years, and he is taking us back 50 years,” Farotimi said.
Obasanjo served as president from May 1999 to May 2007, while Buhari led from May 2015 to May 2023 before handing over to the current president, Bola Tinubu.
Farotimi argued that impactful governance is about decisive action, not tenure length.
“I first heard this one-term presidency idea from Peter Obi during the election cycle. If I ever run for the presidency of Nigeria, I wouldn’t need more than two years to do everything I need to do. The real question is: what does he intend to do with the one term?”
Peter Obi, who contested in the 2023 presidential election, has repeatedly pledged to serve only a single term if elected. He first made the promise in June during a popular X Space session, later refining it to a five-year, non-renewable term similar to South Korea’s presidential system.
“If I have the opportunity, we should stop having a second tenure for presidents. It should be five years. That is what is in South Korea, so people come in knowing they have a job to do,” Obi said.
