• Nasir El-Rufai

Nasir El-Rufai, a former Kaduna State Governor, says that four years is not sufficient to deliver meaningful reforms.

He, therefore, urged former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and his ex-Anambra State counterpart, Peter Obi, to desist from making one-term presidency pledges.

Recalled that Obi, who was the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has consistently said he would serve only one term if elected president in 2027, insisting that four years is enough to reset Nigeria.

Obi also argued that history shows purposeful leadership is defined by impact, not tenure length.

Similarly, Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation and now a member of the African Democratic Congress, said he would be willing to serve just one term if he secures his party’s presidential ticket.

He stated that he would step down after four years to promote rotation and stability.

Reacting to these claims, El-Rufai dismissed the idea, noting that both men, having governed their respective states, should know that four years is not sufficient to deliver meaningful reforms.

“Now, on the question of people coming out and saying, I will do one term, I don’t think anyone believes that.“I don’t think it is right. You should not constitutionally give up what is yours. And frankly, as someone who has been governor for eight years, and Amaechi and Peter Obi have both been governors, they know the time it takes to make meaningful change in government.

El-Rufai emphasized that four years is not enough and politicians who make such pledges often change their minds once they assume office.

“So, I want to appeal to everyone to stop making these commitments of ‘I will do four years’ or ‘I will do eight years’, because nobody believes you,” he added.

El-Rufai also explained that his support for power shift to the South in the 2023 election stemmed from an agreement reached by leaders of the All Progressives Congress during the party’s formation.

The Anambra State House of Assembly has suspended Bernard Udemezue, the member representing Ayamelum Constituency, for three months over matter bordering on misconduct.

The house took the decision after Udemezue allegedly made social media posts deemed damaging to the legislature’s image.

Honourable Udemezue had accused the house of marginalising his constituency over allocation of constituency allowances and revealed details about the allowances, which sparked controversy on the floor of the house

The decision of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) National Executive Committee (NEC) to zone the presidency to the South, and retaining the National Chairman of the party in the North has been described as another clear vindication of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike and the G-5’s position in 2022.

The Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, who reacted to the zoning, asked:

“Now, that the party has realised its mistake of not listening to Wike and the G-5 in 2022, and has chosen to do what they said, three years later, have they not been vindicated now?”

“Recall that the FCT Minister and the G-5 had insisted that the presidential candidate of the PDP and its National Chairman must not remain in the same zone, insisting that since Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, from the North had emerged as the presidential candidate, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, also from the North must resign to pave the way for a National Chairman from the South.

Ayu, however insisted on not resigning, with Atiku and his group backing him.

The aftermath of this was the electoral misfortune the party suffered in 2023, followed by instability after the elections.

“But today, the NEC resolved that since the National Chairman of the party is zoned to the North, the PDP 2027 Presidential ticket be zoned to the South.

“Has PDP not come back to eat its own vomit? “Sadly, they know the truth.

Wike simply said, Take the chairmanship to the South if you want to gain the presidency, but they said no, they must take the two, and the PDP lost!

“They have realised the mistake they made in 2022 and are correcting it in 2025.

But is it not too late already, bearing in mind that the only way the zoning can be justified is for the South to conclude its eight years, while the presidency returns to the North in 2031?