ACF Rejects Obi’s One-Term Vow, Calls it a ‘Political Strategy’

•Northern socio-cultural group says promise is not constitutionally binding, cites Buhari’s precedent
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has dismissed Peter Obi’s recent pledge to serve for only a single four-year term if elected president in 2027, describing the vow as a mere political strategy. The former Labour Party presidential candidate had reiterated his one-term promise, insisting that his word is his bond and that leaders who serve shorter terms often leave more positive legacies.
ACF spokesperson Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba stated that Obi’s promise is not constitutionally binding. He argued that the Nigerian constitution allows for a president to serve two terms, and therefore, Obi cannot be legally held to his single-term pledge should he change his mind.
Speaking with OBSERVERS TIMES Muhammad-Baba drew a parallel to former President Muhammadu Buhari, who also made a one-term pledge prior to his 2015 election but later sought and won a second term in 2019 without any constitutional challenge.
The ACF spokesperson said such promises are often used as a campaign strategy to appeal to certain regional blocs, particularly in the context of Nigeria’s unwritten power-rotation agreement between the North and South. The gentleman’s agreement suggests that after President Bola Tinubu’s expected eight-year tenure, the presidency should return to the North in 2031.
Obi’s one-term vow has been met with skepticism from other quarters as well, including Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo, who recently said those making such promises “need psychological evaluation.”