Human rights lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi has endorsed Peter Obi’s proposal for a single-term presidency, insisting that transformational leadership is about impact, not tenure.
Farotimi argued that Nigeria’s political history shows that longer time in power has not translated to progress, while speaking on the Monday, August 11, during Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme.
“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,” he said.
“So it’s not really about how much time the person spends; it’s a function of what they do with the time that they have,” he added.
Obasanjo governed from 1999 to 2007, Buhari from 2015 to 2023, and Tinubu assumed office in May last year.
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Farotimi, known for his fierce advocacy for systemic reform, said he first heard the one-term idea from Obi during the election season and found it compelling.
“I first heard this one-term presidency idea from Peter Obi during the election cycle. It’s not about how long he says he wishes to serve; I’m more interested in what he intends to do with that time,” he explained.
“If I ever run for the presidency of Nigeria, I wouldn’t require more than two years to do everything I need to do. You don’t need a long term to achieve lasting change, but the question should be: what does he intend to do with the one term?” he said.
Obi, who has repeatedly pledged to serve only four years if elected, recently floated the idea of a single five-year presidential term, similar to South Korea’s model, where re-election is not allowed.
“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 and know that they have a job to do,” Obi had said.