A leading foreign affairs expert has poured cold water on the purported one term presidential agreement between Peter Obi and his running mate Rabiu Kwankwaso, describing the arrangement as politically naive and fundamentally unworkable. Femi Otubanjo, a research professor at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, made the blistering assessment during a Wednesday morning television interview, casting serious doubt on the viability of the Nigeria Democratic Congress ticket’s internal power sharing formula.
Kwankwaso had recently disclosed in a televised interview that he reached an understanding with Obi to serve only a single four year term should their party emerge victorious in the 2027 general elections. The revelation was apparently intended to address concerns about regional power rotation, particularly among northern political constituencies wary of a southern president consolidating power beyond one term. However, Otubanjo’s analysis suggests the arrangement may achieve the opposite effect, raising more questions than it answers about governance priorities and political commitments.
According to the professor’s assessment, a newly elected Obi would necessarily spend approximately two years simply learning the mechanics of presidential governance before becoming effective in the role. Following this inevitable adjustment period, both principal officers would find their attention consumed by preparations for the subsequent election cycle, leaving precious little time for substantive policy implementation or transformative governance. Such a compressed timeline, Otubanjo argued, would fundamentally undermine the administration’s capacity to deliver meaningful ce for Nigerian citizens.
More critically, the expert questioned whether the verbal agreement would provide genuine reassurance to northern political interests. Drawing a comparison with the current administration, Otubanjo noted that constitutional term limits definitively prevent President Bola Tinubu from seeking reelection in 2031, creating an automatic pathway for power to return northward. By contrast, the Obi and Kwankwaso arrangement rests entirely on a personal promise from someone who has never wielded presidential authority or experienced the intoxicating allure of executive power at the federal level.
The skepticism reflects broader concerns within Nigerian political circles about gentleman’s agreements and informal power sharing arrangements. History is replete with examples of such understandings collapsing once the realities of incumbency set in, and constitutional provisions consistently trump verbal commitments when push comes to shove. Otubanjo’s characterization of the agreement as hogwash underscores a fundamental truth that many political observers recognize but few articulate so bluntly: presidential power ces people, and promises made before tasting that power rarely survive contact with its reality.
As the 2027 election cycle intensifies, the viability and credibility of such internal arrangements will likely face increasing scrutiny from voters, party stakeholders, and regional power brokers alike. Whether the Nigeria Democratic Congress ticket can overcome these doubts and convince a skeptical electorate that their power sharing formula represents soing more than empty political rhetoric remains an open question. For now, expert opinion suggests that Nigerian voters would be wise to focus less on backroom deals and more on concrete policy platforms, track records, and institutional safeguards that transcend individual promises. The coming months will reveal whether this one term arrangement becomes a campaign asset or a persistent liability that dogs the opposition ticket throughout the electoral season.
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