2027: Kwankwaso Confirms Written One-Term Deal with Obi, Says Power Will Return North

The vice-presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has confirmed that he and the party's presidential candidate, Peter Obi, signed a written agreement committing Obi to serve only one four-year term if elected president in the 2027 general election.

Kwankwaso made the disclosure during an interview on Channels Television's Politics Today, saying the agreement forms part of the party's power-sharing arrangement aimed at returning the presidency to northern Nigeria after a single four-year tenure.

According to the former Kano State governor, the agreement was formally documented both within the party and between himself and Obi, underscoring what he described as a commitment built on mutual trust and political understanding.

"I personally believe him, and I don't think, based on what I now know about him, he will renege. I don't think he will change his mind when the time comes," Kwankwaso said.

He added:

"We are all gentlemen, even though we have accepted to even put it on paper. We have done one agreement for the party, and we have done another one between the two of us."

Agreement Provides for Northern Presidency After Four Years

Explaining the details of the arrangement, Kwankwaso said the understanding was that Obi would serve only one term between 2027 and 2031 before power returns to the North.

"The agreement is that after four years we will work together as a group, as a party, as friends and brothers so that after his term, or our term, from 2027 to 2031, power returns to the North. That is the general agreement," he said.

The former governor argued that the arrangement reflects what he considers a broader national consensus on rotational leadership, which he believes could strengthen national unity.

"Together we felt that the presidency should go to the South for four years; thereafter it will come back to the North. We believe that should be the consensus of everybody in this country so we can move together as one family, both North and South."

Why He Accepted the Vice-Presidential Ticket

Kwankwaso also explained why he accepted the vice-presidential nomination after previously pursuing the presidency.

According to him, the decision was influenced by the political realities surrounding the 2027 election and the party's broader long-term strategy.

Asked whether he intends to seek the presidency in 2031, Kwankwaso declined to make a definitive declaration but said the party remains focused on its immediate objective while also planning for the future.

"We have a short-term plan which we are executing now and, of course, we also have our medium- and long-term plans for the country. That is what we are working on now," he said.

Obi Has Repeatedly Promised a Single Term

Peter Obi has consistently maintained that, if elected president, he would serve only one four-year term.

The former Anambra State governor has argued on several occasions that four years would be sufficient to implement his economic and governance reforms.

"I want to be a one-term president because of stability. I would not stay a day longer than four years," Obi has said in previous public engagements.

Political Significance

Kwankwaso's latest disclosure marks the first public confirmation that the one-term commitment was reduced to writing and formally signed by both candidates.

The revelation comes as political parties continue to build alliances and negotiate power-sharing arrangements ahead of the 2027 general election, with zoning and rotational leadership expected to remain major issues in Nigeria's political landscape.

While the agreement carries political significance within the NDC, it is ultimately a political undertaking between the candidates and the party rather than a constitutional provision. Under Nigeria's Constitution, a president who wins election is eligible to seek a second four-year term unless he voluntarily declines to contest again.