- Safiu Kehinde
Former Kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has dismissed the one-term promises made by former Anambra and Rivers state governors, Peter Obi and Rotimi Amaechi, stressing that they both know that meaningful changes cannot be made in four years.
NPO Reported that Amaechi and Obi had both pledged to run for a single term if elected the President of Nigeria.
The duo had alongside El-Rufai, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and other opposition leaders adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the new coalition party with the aim of voting out the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 General Election.
Questions had however emerged over who the party’s flag bearers will be with.
While Atiku had been quite on the possibility of contesting, Obi and Amaechi had both made their ambition known with claims of changing the country’s fortune in just four years.
Reacting to their claims while speaking on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics, yesterday, El-Rufai maintained that no meaningful changes can be made by any government in four years.
This, according to the ex-Kaduna governor, is also known by Obi and Amaeachi who also served as Anambra and Rivers states governors for eight years respectively.
El-Rufai urged the opposition leaders to stop making four years commitment while charging them to allow the ADC to fully gain ground.
“I don’t think anyone believes that. I don’t think it is right. You should not constitutionally give up what is yours.
“Frankly, as someone that has been governor for eight years, Amaechi and Peter Obi have both being governors, they know the time it takes to make meaningful change in government.
“Four years is not enough. I want to appeal to everyone to stop making commitment of four years because nobody believes you. You will go in there and change the story. Let us wait for our party to settle, have a discussion and decide what is the way to win.” He said.
Reacting to the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) zoning of the presidential candidacy to the South, El-Rufai expressed indifference over the development as he maintained that zoning has always being a political strategy used by parties in winning election.
“Zoning is a political strategy that every party pursues to enable it win the election.
“In 2023 I fell very strongly that with that understanding it has to go to the south. And PDP now has decided to zone it to the south. Goodluck to them.
“However, the ADC is still forming. The party is structurally weak.
“We are still forming the party. And when the party is fully formed, the leadership and the founders of the party will seat and decide on that. I’m not privy to the discussion.” He said.