2027: Amaechi Joins Obi, Vows to Serve Only One Term as President if Elected

Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has declared his intention to serve a single term if elected president in 2027, aligning with an earlier pledge by Labour Party’s Peter Obi.

Amaechi made the statement during an interview on Channels Television, stressing the importance of maintaining Nigeria’s unwritten power-sharing tradition between the North and South.

Amaechi, a former Rivers State governor, made the promise while appearing on Politics Today on Thursday. Responding to a question about whether he would limit himself to one term in office under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), he said:

“If I won’t do more than four years, I would say that. If I were to do more than four years, I would say I would do more than four.”

Although the ADC has not yet formalized its zoning policy for the 2027 elections, Amaechi insisted that national unity and regional fairness must remain a priority.

Nigeria’s political structure, while not constitutionally mandated, operates on a rotation principle between the North and South. President Bola Tinubu, a southerner, succeeded Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, after the 2023 elections.

Amaechi, who played a pivotal role in advocating for Buhari’s emergence in 2015, said he did so to preserve the balance of power. He added that the breach of such rotational understanding could trigger political instability.

“I led the fight against the PDP because the agreement was for four years, and they reneged. I believed that if the South continues beyond the agreed term, the North will react, and that would endanger national unity.”

His comments mirror those of Peter Obi, the former Labour Party presidential candidate, who earlier this week announced his intention to run again in 2027. Obi also pledged to serve only one term if required by coalition partners.

“If there is any agreement to serve only four years, I will respect it and leave by May 28, 2031,” Obi said in an X Space interactive session with supporters.

Obi also vowed to restore stability in the country within two years, urging Nigerians to unite and rebuild the nation.

“Leaders of Nigeria should sit down in Nigeria and fix Nigeria,” he declared.