By Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu
I strongly align with Osita Chidoka’s call for a single-term presidency. This position is not new to me. Anyone who follows my public commentary, especially on X (formerly Twitter), knows that I have consistently advocated for a one-term presidency, and I remain convinced that it offers Nigeria a clearer path to focused governance. In fact, this reform should not stop at the presidency; it ought to be extended to all tiers of government.
Our lived experience confirms a hard truth: preparation for a second term routinely pushes governance into recession. Long before the midpoint of an administration, attention shifts from delivery to survival. As we are witnessing now, despite elections being scheduled for 2027, the political atmosphere has been overheated since 2025. Energy that should be directed toward development, service delivery, and welfare is instead being expended on positioning, alliances, and electoral calculations. If history is any guide, 2026 risks becoming a lost year.
As Chidoka rightly observed, while all eyes are fixed on 2027, life does not pause for elections. Citizens will continue to seek healthcare, children will sit for WAEC and JAMB, insecurity will either worsen or improve, and households will struggle, or breathe, based on economic realities. The real question is: at what cost does this permanent electioneering come to the Nigerian people?
A single-term framework offers the opportunity to restore discipline to governance. It compels leaders to focus on legacy rather than longevity, delivery rather than popularity, and institutions rather than personal political futures. However, this conversation must go beyond principle to design. How long should the single term be – four, five or six, years? When should such a reform take effect? How do we manage transition without destabilising the system? These are serious questions that demand national dialogue, constitutional clarity, and bipartisan honesty.
What should be non-negotiable, however, is the recognition that Nigeria cannot continue to mortgage governance at the altar of re-election politics. If we are serious about development, trust-building, and institutional performance, then the courage to rethink our political timelines is no longer optional, it is urgent.
*DR BETTY ANYANWU-AKEREDOLU, PhD.*
*(ADA OWERE 1)*
ANYANWU-AKEREDOLU is a former first Lady of Ondo State and wife of Late former Governor Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu
