Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has backed Labour Party presidential hopeful Peter Obi’s proposal for a single-term presidency, stating that the idea is rooted in Obi’s conviction that second-term ambitions undermine governance.
Speaking on Trust TV News on Monday, August 11, 2025, Dalung said: “I think the idea of a one single term has nothing to do with maybe the coalition. It is just the general conviction of Peter because I have engaged him on it and he told me look what has destroyed our democracy is the issue of second term and he believe that a single term is enough for a person to make impact. Uh whatever you want to do you can do it but leaders are easily distracted with second term and immediately the first year the second year governance is abandoned and all you could hear is plans preparation for the second term.”
Dalung argued that the problem has worsened under the current administration. He said: “It has even been compounded under this current dispensation where in the second year already we have fullblown political activities going on and it was even triggered by those in government. mounting of their billboards, arresting descending voices, cracking down on protest and then luring governors to defect from their parties and then they introduce now adoption and endorsement.”
When asked to clarify, he replied: “Yes, endorsement rather, very strange to our democracy. This was done during the military. But now you have APC going around doing endorsement. They have concluded the political endorsement. Very soon we are going to have imams, pastors endorsing them. Then we will have INEC too endorse them and maybe the judiciary will. No, INEC is as neutral as the extent of the pretend to be neutral because if were neutral he couldn’t have declared results and immediately was asking people if you aggrieved go to court.
