Don’t Fool the North with One-Term Claims – Reuben Abati Warns Politicians

Reuben Abati, a Nigerian journalist, has stated that the idea of a one-term government advocated by Labour Party (LP) 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi and other opposition coalition members will be useless.
According to reports, Abati said this on Monday, August 4, 2025, during an appearance on the Arise TV morning show.

According to the media personality, any politician who promises a single term is demonstrating desperation since it will not work.

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The former presidential adviser believes Northerners who are already dissatisfied with a Yoruba president will reject the idea of an Igbo president because Nigeria’s civil conflict has not ended.

He stated, “Any politician who comes to you and says he would only serve one term is desperate. It won’t work. All of this spiel about serving food, carrying dishes, and acting boyish at parties that could have been better arranged by event organizers is a symptom of desperation. It does not work. It’ll never work.

“The second difficulty is that you stated that the North will support this one-term strategy. No! The North will not because the civil conflict in this country has never been resolved. I don’t believe that Northerners who are already dissatisfied with a Yoruba president will suddenly embrace the notion of an Igbo president. There are contradictions in our country that have not been resolved.”