A former Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), Yabagi Sani, has said that it would be difficult for northerners to believe the proposal by ex-Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi to run for president in 2027 and stay in office for a single term of four years.
Sani, who was a guest on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme on Tuesday, said none of those planning to run for president in 2027 including Obi is a saint.
During an X Space on Sunday with his followers, Obi, a former Anambra State governor, had reportedly said he would comply with an agreement to be in office for four years if he wins the 2027 presidential election.
However, the ex-IPAC chair said the dynamics of power become different when politicians get into office.
Sani said going by the principle of rotation of power, the northern region of Nigeria should produce the country’s president after an eight-year rule by the south.
Already, President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the South-West would complete a four-year ticket by May 2027 and is seeking re-election.
Sani said, “Yes, Mr Peter Obi can agree to say: ‘I am going to do one term’ but the northerners will tell you that after Bola Tinubu’s term, if he gets the (second) election, it should come to the north.
“But we are human beings. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Peter Obi is not a saint; he is not somebody who is from another planet. We have seen successive governments trying to see how they can turn the constitution around and give themselves a third term and things like that.
“This is why it would be difficult for a lot of people to believe Mr Peter Obi that after one term, he would leave. And then how would he even succeed if you look at the sentimental aspect of it, the state capture, and power of incumbency.”
