Peter Obi proposes single 5-year term for Nigerian presidency 

By Adetayo Omotoyosi Adeolu

Peter Obi, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has proposed a significant reform to Nigeria’s political system, advocating for a single five-year term for the presidency, drawing inspiration from South Korea’s model.

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Obi made this statement during a visit to Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State at the Government House. He said that a single-term presidency would ensure leaders focus on governance rather than re-election campaigns.

Obi, who came third in the 2023 presidential election, stressed that the current practice, where presidents serve a four-year term with the option for re-election, often leads to leaders spending their first year governing and the remaining years planning for another term.

He said, “What people do now is to be president for one year and use the rest of the year thinking about the next tenure. Let’s stop it, let’s face the real job.”

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Obi added that if adopted, a single five-year term would force leaders to prioritise their responsibilities within a defined timeframe.

The former Anambra State governor cited South Korea, where presidents are restricted to a single five-year term without the possibility of re-election, as a model that ensures focused leadership.

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He said, ‘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”, He added.