Chukwuma Soludo, governor of Anambra state, has criticised politicians who pledge to serve only one term in office, describing such promises as signs of mental instability.
Last month, George Moghalu, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the Anambra governorship election, pledged to serve a single term to encourage zoning and rotation of power in the state.
Also, at the federal level, both Peter Obi, former presidential candidate of the LP, and Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation, have pledged their willingness to serve only one term if elected president in 2027.
Obi said any candidate from the south elected president in 2027 must be prepared to leave office in 2031, in line with the “unwritten power-sharing agreement” and the zoning principle.
The Anambra governorship election will be held on November 8, 2025.
Speaking on Saturday during a political rally held in Anambra south in support of his second-term ambition, Soludo urged the people of the state not to take any politician promising to serve just one term seriously, adding that “anybody, any politician who said that must be sent to a psychiatric home”.
He said since the constitution allows a governor to serve two terms, pledging to serve only one term is unreasonable.
“Tell us where it has ever happened or who. Anybody who is saying this needs a psychiatric examination because you are taking every one of us to be a fool,” Soludo added.
Soludo also praised Anambra’s progress under his administration, noting that the state has moved beyond accommodating unqualified candidates.
“Anambra, we have advanced. There is a calibre of people that Anambra has gone higher; we are not going to go back. Anambra has no place for street urchins,” he said.
He also criticised those aspiring to become governor without requisite certificates, noting that such ambitions are unrealistic and detrimental to the state’s development.
“Some of them have no school certificates, but they want to be governor of Anambra,” he added.
