‘Nobody believes one-term promises’ — El-Rufai tells Obi, Amaechi

Former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai has faulted the promises by Peter Obi and Rotimi Amaechi to serve only one term if elected president in 2027, describing such commitments as unrealistic and unbelievable.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, El-Rufai said both men, being former governors, know from experience that four years is insufficient to implement meaningful reforms.

“I don’t think anyone believes that,” he said. “You should not constitutionally give up what is yours. From my experience as a two-term governor, and from theirs as former governors, they know that four years is not enough to make meaningful change in government.”

Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, has maintained that a single four-year term would be sufficient to reset Nigeria, stressing that leadership is measured by impact, not duration. Similarly, Amaechi, a former minister of transportation and ex-Rivers governor, has pledged to step aside after one term if he secures the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ticket, citing stability and rotation as his reasons.

But El-Rufai argued that such pledges are often abandoned once politicians assume office, adding that they only raise public doubts.

He also addressed zoning, noting that his support for power shift to the south in 2023 was an outcome of an internal understanding among All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders. According to him, zoning remains a political strategy used by parties to enhance electoral chances.

“The ADC is still forming,” he said. “When it is fully formed, the leadership and founders will decide on zoning. I am not privy to that discussion yet.”