As Nigeria edges closer to the highly anticipated 2027 presidential election, political conversations are intensifying especially surrounding the much-debated one-term pledge made by several past and present aspirants.
In a statement posted on her verified X handle, Nkiruka Nistoran, publisher of NN News Media, weighed in on the matter, addressing the growing speculation triggered by recent comments from Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo.
According to Nistoran, former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, is expected to release an official statement in the coming days. She noted that Amaechi like several other presidential hopefuls before him, had at one point promised to serve only a single term if elected to the nation’s highest office.
She also pointed out that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has not made a public declaration about his 2027 ambitions. Still, rumors persist that he too made a similar one-term vow in past election cycles, though it has not been officially confirmed.
Nistoran strongly clarified that Soludo’s recent comments were not targeted at Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi alone, as widely assumed by the public and media. Instead, she explained, Soludo was referencing all political figures including those contesting in the upcoming Anambra gubernatorial election who have made direct or indirect one-term promises.
“Soludo isn’t just pointing fingers at Peter Obi,” Nistoran stated.
“He’s calling out every candidate who made the one-term pledge directly or indirectly. Let’s not twist the narrative.”
She went on to express that the current debate over one-term promises might have been entirely avoidable had political parties reached a genuine agreement earlier on.
“If a true coalition had been formed and honored,”“we shouldn’t be debating one-term promises she said.
Nistoran concluded by noting that it is now the presidential contest itself that will ultimately decide who serves and for how long, urging Nigerians to shift focus from promises to actual policy and leadership capacity.
“Now, it’s the presidential primaries itself that will determine who ends up serving one term or more.”
As the political climate evolves ahead of 2027, Nistoran’s statement adds crucial context to the growing national discourse on campaign integrity, unity among opposition candidates, and the weight of public promises in Nigeria’s democracy.
