A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana has dismissed the ongoing conversation around single-term presidential tenure as a political smokescreen, asserting that the debate distracts from the more pressing issues affecting Nigerians.
The legal luminary made his stance known on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he criticised both ruling and opposition politicians for focusing on succession and regional power rotation rather than solving systemic national problems.
READ ALSO: Falana says Tinubu’s neoliberal policies starving the masses
“I’m not going to join the campaign for power shift or power remaining in one part of the country for four years or eight years. No, that’s diversionary,” Falana said.
He argued that the political class insults the intelligence of citizens by focusing on ethnic and regional power dynamics instead of tackling fundamental challenges such as insecurity, hunger, and energy deficits.
“You insult the Nigerian people when you base the politics of the country, when you hand over the politics of the country to a few people to decide who should govern the country, for how many years and which side of the country should rule the country, which religious group should rule the country.
“For goodness’ sake, can we address the problems confronting the country and embrace those who have solutions to the problems of the country?
“Section 224 of the Constitution provides that every political party in Nigeria shall have as part of its aims and objects, the fundamental objectives of state policy.
“Section 14 of the Constitution, the most important thing, states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.
“Let us begin to address problems confronting the country, including electricity, because without electricity, we cannot have industrialisation.”
His comments come amid statements by Peter Obi, former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential flagbearer, who recently reaffirmed his pledge to serve a single four-year term if elected president in 2027.
Obi’s proposition is intended to balance Nigeria’s informal zoning arrangement between northern and southern regions.
Obi made the statement during a July 6 appearance on Sunday Politics, also aired on Channels Television. He argued that his presidency would complete the South’s turn in Nigeria’s unwritten North-South power rotation, following the eight years of former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Tinubu, both of whom are from different regions.
Obi is aiming to unseat President Tinubu, who has declared interest in seeking a second term in the 2027 general election. However, Tinubu’s administration continues to face heavy criticism over the widespread hardship many Nigerians say has intensified since his economic reforms began.
, Femi Falana has dismissed the ongoing conversation around single-term presidential tenure as a political smokescreen, asserting that the debate distracts from the more pressing issues affecting Nigerians.){kind=link}