Victor Umeh, senator representing Anambra Central, says Peter Obi, the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, will honour his promise to serve only one term of four years if elected president in 2027.
Umeh spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.
His comments followed the decision of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to southern Nigeria, with the slot expected to return to the north in 2031.
Obi has repeatedly said he would serve only one term to preserve the country’s informal power rotation arrangement between the north and south.
Speaking on the issue, Umeh said Obi’s position reflects a commitment to national unity and a new political culture.
“Well, it is part of the promise of a new Nigeria,” he said.
“What we are doing with NDC and with Mr Peter Obi is something novel, something that has not happened in Nigeria before.”
The senator said many Nigerian politicians refuse to leave office willingly once they gain power, but Obi had deliberately limited himself to the remaining four years available to southern Nigeria under the power-sharing arrangement.
“Mr Obi was very conscious of the need to preserve national unity,” Umeh said.
“He recognises that for him to succeed, he must not eat into the tenure of the north.”
Umeh said Obi had consistently maintained the same position over the years and described him as a politician who keeps his word.
“I have been his longest political associate since 2001,” he said.
“I can tell you that once he has said it, that is the way it’s going to be.”
According to him, Obi has already begun discussions on how to fulfil his promises within a single term if elected.
Umeh compared Obi’s proposed single term to the leadership example of Nelson Mandela, who served only one term in South Africa despite widespread popularity.
“Don’t forget that somebody like a nobleman like Nelson Mandela did only four years in South Africa and he left,” he said.
“So if Obi leaves after four years, he will not be the first person. Mandela did it and he left even when the ovation was still very high for him.”
The senator added that respecting power rotation remains critical to preserving national unity in Nigeria.
“Anybody who wants to preserve national unity from the south cannot think about staying beyond four years,” he said.
Umeh argued that by 2027, the south would have completed eight years in power under Bola Ahmed Tinubu and any attempt to extend southern rule beyond another four years could create political tension.
