The South-East chapter of the Tinubu Support Organisation (TSO) has criticised reports of an alleged agreement between Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso to limit an Obi presidency to a single four-year term.
The group’s leader in the region, Dr. George Agbakahi, argued that such an arrangement could negatively affect the South-East’s long-standing ambition to produce a president with a full constitutional tenure.
In a statement titled “The Igbo Presidency and the Politics of Half-Measures: Why Peter Obi’s One-Term Pledge Undermines South-East Aspirations,” Agbakahi said the region deserves more than a short period in office after decades of limited access to Nigeria’s presidency.
He argued that the South-East has had minimal representation at the highest level of government since independence, recalling that the only Igbo head of state was Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi, whose administration lasted only about six months before his removal and assassination in 1966.
Agbakahi said rotational leadership and political zoning have traditionally been used as tools to encourage inclusion and balance among Nigeria’s regions.
He maintained that any agreement restricting a potential South-East presidency to one term could weaken the region’s political position and limit its opportunity for long-term impact.
The APC supporter referenced reports that Senator Kwankwaso disclosed that he and Peter Obi had reached an agreement for Obi to serve one term before power returns to the North. He described the reported arrangement as politically risky and questioned whether such a private agreement could override constitutional provisions allowing elected presidents to seek a second term.
Agbakahi also raised concerns about the lack of publicly available details regarding the enforcement of the reported agreement, arguing that constitutional rights cannot be replaced by private political arrangements.
He further criticised Obi’s movement across different political parties over the years, saying previous political agreements in Nigeria have often changed due to the realities of governance.
Rather than supporting what he described as a limited presidential arrangement, Agbakahi encouraged South-East voters and political leaders to support President Bola Tinubu’s administration and strengthen their relationship with the APC.
He highlighted Tinubu’s economic reforms, infrastructure projects, education initiatives, and other government programmes as reasons why the region should consider closer cooperation with the ruling party.
Agbakahi also compared the South-East’s political strategy with that of the South-West, arguing that previous alliances contributed to Tinubu’s emergence as president in 2023.
He urged the South-East to pursue a long-term political strategy focused on securing stronger representation and greater influence at the national level.
