Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has sparked debate with a bold remark, stating that any politician who promises to serve only one term in office requires psychiatric examination. Soludo made the statement during the Anambra South endorsement rally organized in support of his second-term ambition.
Addressing a crowd of supporters, Soludo dismissed one-term pledges by politicians as deceptive and unrealistic, challenging anyone who supports the idea to show where it has ever worked effectively within Nigeria’s political history.
“How can anybody, anybody with brain, you think you are talking to fools? You come to people and said, ‘I will do only one term.’ Anybody, any politician who said that must be sent to a psychiatric home, because the person must have some mental problems. When the constitution allows you to stay up to eight years, they would come and tell us, ‘I’m going to serve one term.’ Tell us where it has ever happened?” he queried.
Soludo emphasized that the Nigerian Constitution provides for a maximum of two terms for elected executive officeholders and questioned the logic behind self-imposed limitations.
His statement comes just weeks after the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, declared that he would be willing to serve only a single term as president if a coalition arrangement demanded it.
“If the agreement is one term, I will leave on May 28, 2031 — not even May 29,” Obi said during a popular XSpace session titled #PeterObiOnParallelFacts, which attracted over 10,000 live listeners. “I am not desperate to be president. I am desperate to see Nigeria work.”
Speaking further on the idea of coalition politics, Obi stressed that integrity and discipline must guide any such partnerships. He pointed to his personal political sacrifices, including respecting zoning arrangements in Anambra State, as evidence of his commitment to fairness and national progress.
“If the coalition is about sharing tickets and power for its sake, count me out. I’m not interested,” he stated. “I want a coalition that stops the killings in Borno, puts food on people’s tables, and gets our industries working.”
The stark contrast in Soludo’s and Obi’s positions highlights a growing conversation within Nigeria’s political space about ambition, integrity, and realistic governance commitments as the country moves closer to the next election cycle.
