By Emmanuel Adebanjo
Dear Peter Obi,
I am addressing you directly because the matter before Nigerians is too important to be reduced to political calculations.
You are asking Nigerians to entrust you with the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Yet you have accepted an arrangement under which you would serve only four years, after which the presidency is expected to return to the North.
Rabiu Kwankwaso has publicly confirmed that you both signed a written agreement to that effect. He has said that the agreement provides for a four-year Obi presidency from 2027 to 2031, followed by the return of presidential power to the North.
My question to you is simple: WHY?
Why would a presidential candidate voluntarily place a four-year ceiling on his own presidency before Nigerians have even voted?
The Nigerian Constitution provides the framework for presidential tenure. But you are voluntarily entering a political agreement that goes beyond what the Constitution requires.
What exactly is the political calculation behind it?
Are you seeking to become President of Nigeria because you believe you can begin rebuilding the country, or simply because you want your name recorded among the people who have occupied Aso Rock?
Because if your objective is genuine national transformation, four years is an extremely short period to undertake the fundamental restructuring Nigeria desperately needs.
And Peter Obi, there is another question that Nigerians—particularly young Nigerians—have every right to ask:
Why should the presidency of Nigeria be negotiated around North-South rotation between two politicians before Nigerians have expressed their will at the ballot box?
Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians.
I am not against the North. I am not against the South. I am against reducing the presidency of Nigeria to a political arrangement between regional blocs.
You are an Igbo Nigerian. Kwankwaso is a northern Nigerian. That should not be the issue.
The issue is whether the presidency should be treated as a national institution or as something to be passed between political regions according to a private agreement.
And I challenge you on this:
If the agreement is genuinely in the national interest, publish it.
Let Nigerians read it.
Let Nigerians know exactly what was signed, by whom, and what obligations were undertaken.
Don’t simply tell Nigerians that gentlemen have reached an understanding.
Let Nigerians see the understanding.
AND THEN THERE IS SECURITY
You have repeatedly criticised the Tinubu administration over insecurity, and you have described Nigeria’s security situation as deteriorating.
Fine.
That is your constitutional right as an opposition politician and presidential candidate.
But Nigerians also deserve more than political blame.
The insecurity crisis did not begin with President Tinubu, and therefore no serious presidential candidate should present himself merely as the person who will blame the previous administration.
The question Nigerians should be asking every candidate is:
WHAT EXACTLY WILL YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?
How will you stop kidnapping?
How will you dismantle terrorist networks?
How will you secure the highways and rural communities?
How will you protect farmers?
How will you improve intelligence gathering?
How will you reform the police and military?
How will you prevent criminals from financing their operations through ransom?
And most importantly:
Why should Nigerians believe that your government will succeed where previous governments have struggled?
Criticising President Tinubu is easy.
Winning an election is one thing.
Governing Nigeria is another thing entirely.
Peter Obi, Nigerians do not need another politician who can eloquently describe Nigeria’s problems.
We need somebody prepared to confront them.
And that brings me back to the four-year agreement.
If you genuinely believe you can fix Nigeria, why voluntarily promise to leave after four years?
If you believe four years is sufficient, tell Nigerians exactly what you inte
