Reuben Abati, a former presidential spokesperson, says the idea of a one-term government advocated by Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) and other opposition coalition members, will be useless.
Speaking on Monday during the Arise TV morning show, Abati said any politician who promises a single term is demonstrating desperation, noting that it will not work.
He said northerners who are already dissatisfied with a Yoruba president will reject the idea of an Igbo president because Nigeria’s civil conflict has not ended.
“Any politician who comes to you and says he would only serve one term is desperate,” Abati said.
“It won’t work. All of this talk about serving food, carrying dishes, and acting boyish at parties, which could have been better organised by event organisers, is a symptom of desperation. It does not work. It’ll never work.
“The second difficulty is that you stated that the North will support this one-term strategy. No! The North will not because the civil conflict in this country has never been resolved.
“I don’t believe that Northerners who are already dissatisfied with a Yoruba president will suddenly embrace the notion of an Igbo president. There are contradictions in our country that have not been resolved.”
The Times of Abuja reports that Obi has insisted that he would serve one term of four years if elected Nigerian president.
Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of Anambra, however, said any politician promising to serve a one term should be sent to a psychiatric home.
