BY Muhammad Mamman
Renowned human rights lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi has thrown his weight behind Peter Obi’s bold proposal for a single-term presidency, arguing that Nigeria’s past leaders have frittered away extended tenures with little to show for it. In a compelling interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Farotimi delivered a scathing critique of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari, while casting doubt on President Bola Tinubu’s trajectory.
“Obasanjo had eight years—what did he achieve? Buhari had eight years, and he ran Nigeria into the ground. Tinubu, in just two years, is dragging us back half a century,” Farotimi declared with characteristic candour. “It’s not about the length of time in office, but what you do with it.”
Farotimi, a fierce advocate for justice and systemic reform, underscored that transformative change does not hinge on prolonged leadership. He first encountered Obi’s single-term presidency idea during the 2023 election campaign and praised its focus on vision over ambition. “When a leader pledges one term, the question isn’t how long they’ll stay, but what they’ll do. A true vision outlives the visionary—it’s for future generations to carry forward,” he said. “If I were to run for president, I’d need just two years to enact meaningful change. The focus must be on the plan, not the tenure.”
Obi, the former Labour Party presidential candidate and ex-Anambra governor, has consistently vowed to serve a single four-year term if elected in 2027, a stance that has sparked both intrigue and scepticism. More recently, he advocated for a five-year single-term model, akin to South Korea’s, where re-election is barred, to ensure leaders prioritise impactful governance over political longevity.
No Saviour Without Systemic Overhaul
Addressing speculation about former President Goodluck Jonathan’s potential political comeback, Farotimi was unequivocal: Nigeria’s challenges transcend individual leaders. “A thousand Goodluck Jonathans, even with amplified intellect, cannot fix Nigeria without addressing its structural flaws,” he asserted. He recalled how Jonathan was once vilified as the nation’s problem, only for the same issues to persist under new leadership. “The press, pulpits, and mosques claimed removing Jonathan would save Nigeria. Yet here we are, worse off.”
Farotimi dismissed the notion that changing leaders alone could resolve Nigeria’s woes. “If you oust Tinubu today but leave the corrupt system intact, nothing changes. The political class thrives on distraction, recycling the same failed figures,” he said, pointing to the cyclical nature of Nigeria’s leadership crises. “How do we rebrand a 2015 failure as a 2025 saviour? We’re told we were better off a decade ago, but that’s a lie we must reject.”
Instead, Farotimi called for the establishment of “enduring systems” to address Nigeria’s systemic rot. “We don’t need a political messiah. We need a country built on robust, lasting structures,” he urged, advocating for a fundamental shift away from personality-driven governance.
Farotimi’s impassioned remarks amplify Obi’s single-term proposal, igniting fresh debate about Nigeria’s path to sustainable progress. As the 2027 elections loom, the focus, he insists, must be on transformative plans, not recycled promises.
