Former transport minister Rotimi Amaechi has said he would be prepared to serve just one term as president if he wins the 2027 election with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Amaechi spoke on Thursday during an interview on ‘Politics Today’, a Channels Television programme, explaining his commitment to Nigeria’s unofficial power-sharing arrangement between the north and south.
The former Rivers State governor said he believes in stepping down after four years to maintain the country’s political balance and prevent instability.
“For now, the way Nigeria is, you must keep to that unwritten agreement that says south eight years, north eight years,” he said.
Amaechi drew on his past experience fighting against governments that failed to honour similar agreements, explaining why he feels so strongly about the issue.
“I led a fight against the PDP government because there was an agreement that the government at that time would spend four years, but after four years, the government reneged, and I said, ‘no, that will be unfair.’
“That will lead to instability at its peak, as the north will react. So, the best thing to do is to support a northern candidate to continue the balance of power.
“Just like I will be telling the northerners that, no, the south should be allowed to complete their tenure — if the south isn’t allowed to complete their tenure, then I have made a mistake in supporting….”
When directly asked if he would only serve one term if given the ADC ticket, Amaechi replied simply: “Of course.”
He explained that his political plans are tied to a coalition agreement that puts party-building ahead of personal ambition.
“If not for the coalition agreement, the answer to whether I’ll run (as president) would have been an outright yes,” he said.
“But what did we agree? Everyone should keep aside their ambition. Let’s first get the platform. Let’s build it before talking about the presidency.”
Amaechi previously contested the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary in 2022, finishing second behind current President Bola Tinubu.
His comments come just days after Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, expressed his readiness to serve a single term if elected in 2027. Obi has also long supported the north-south rotation principle.
BusinessDay