Senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh, has said former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will honour the agreement to serve only one term if elected president in 2027 under the platform of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Umeh defended Obi’s move to the NDC and explained that the party’s decision to zone its presidential ticket to the South for a single four-year term was aimed at preserving equity, balance and national unity.
According to him, the South is entitled to complete eight years in power following the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari from the North.
“NDC has risen to the occasion, knowing that there is no way you can come and challenge southern Nigeria in this election, where they are entitled to two terms in office, eight years, because Buhari did eight years in the last dispensation,” Umeh said.
He explained that the NDC convention unanimously adopted a motion zoning the presidency to the South for only one term before power returns to the North in 2031.
“The motion was that this presidency is zoned to the South for four years and in 2031, when the South would have completed the four years of the eight years due to the South, automatically the presidency should revert to the North,” he stated.
Umeh said Obi had long committed himself to serving only one term in the interest of national cohesion.
“Mr. Peter Obi started a long time ago to say that he will spend only four years and give way. He knows that he cannot do a second term because Tinubu is already doing four years for the South,” he added.
When asked whether the NDC trusted Obi to abide by the arrangement if elected, Umeh said the former Anambra governor was a man of integrity who would keep his word.
“I have known Peter Obi since 2001. Once he has said it, that is the way it’s going to be,” he said.
“If he goes into office, assuming Nigerians vote for him and he wins, Peter Obi will leave after four years.”
Drawing parallels with former South African President Nelson Mandela, Umeh argued that voluntary single-term leadership was not unprecedented.
“Somebody like Nelson Mandela did only four years in South Africa and he left even when the ovation was still very high for him,” he said.
The senator also defended the wave of political defections ahead of the 2027 elections, describing them as a legitimate response to internal party challenges.
“When the place you are becomes choking, you have to find an exit route,” Umeh said.
“So the movements are not undemocratic. There are circumstances that have warranted such movements.”
Umeh criticised the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying its failure to adopt zoning contributed to Obi and others leaving the party.
“ADC was not able to do zoning, and zoning was a problem that cost the PDP the election in 2023,” he argued.
On governance, the lawmaker said Nigeria’s major challenge was not lack of resources but poor management and waste.
“Nigeria is blessed with a lot of money, a lot of resources. What is our bane is waste of our resources,” he said.
He described Obi as a prudent leader who rejects transactional politics.
“Peter Obi is very wealthy, but he has said that he cannot be driven into transactional politics because if he spends his money, if he gets into public office, he will start stealing public money to recover the money he has spent,” Umeh stated.
The senator also criticised the Federal Government’s handling of fuel subsidy removal, saying although the policy was necessary, authorities failed to cushion its impact on Nigerians.
“Subsidy has been removed. Yes, it was a good thing to remove subsidy because of the corruption in the subsidy regime,” he said.
“But my question is, if you remove the subsidy, it means you have savings. What has improved since then?”
He accused the government of removing subsidies without putting adequate refining infrastructure in place.
“If not for Dangote Refinery, Nigeria would have been grounded by now,” Umeh added.
According to him, the NDC’s ideology would prioritise citizens’ welfare, production and economic revival.
“We have to start reviving our industries and promoting people to go back to farming and production,” he said.
“The welfare of Nigerian citizens shall be the primary purpose of government.”
