There Is No One-Term Agreement Anywhere.
Suleiman Awwal
Politics, as often said, is a game of interests. However, it has never appeared as chaotic as it does in this era, where propaganda has become a primary tool used to attack existing structures, create confusion, or push personal opposition agendas. In Kogi State, this trend has taken a troubling turn, as vested interests have converted social media into a factory for false narratives; distorting facts, twisting statements, and assigning meanings that suit their own intentions. Anyone who refuses to align with these narratives is quickly painted as a villain.
Ironically, many of these arguments are built on imagination, half-truths, and deliberate misrepresentation. Information is key, and when one refuses to seek it, ignorance should not be used as an excuse.
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In recent days, a report has circulated claiming that there was a one-term agreement tied to the emergence of the current Governor of Kogi State. According to the report, this alleged agreement is now being raised and possibly enforced by higher political authorities. It is important to address this claim clearly and responsibly to set the record straight. There is no one-term agreement anywhere. Not in personal interests, not in law, not in party records, and not in any publicly acknowledged political arrangement.
Politics thrives on information, but it also suffers from rumours. In Nigeria, it is common to see stories attributed to “sources”, “insiders”, or “those familiar with the matter”. While such reports may create tension or excitement, they do not automatically amount to fact. Serious political decisions, especially those that affect a sitting governor and an entire state are not enforced through whispers or media speculation.
It is therefore worth asking: is the Presidency truly at war with the government of Kogi State? Is there really a cold war between the governor, and the rumoured interest from Kogi West? These are questions that deserve careful thought, not rushed conclusions driven by online narratives.
From a constitutional point of view, the matter is very clear. A governor is elected for a four-year term, with the right to seek re-election where the law permits. The Nigerian Constitution does not recognise one-term agreements, gentleman arrangements, or political side notes. Governance is defined by law, not by private understandings. If such an agreement truly existed, it would require at least one of the following: official party documentation, public disclosure by the parties involved, or a legal basis that can be clearly referenced. None of these exists. What does not exist on record cannot be enforced in reality.
If any understanding existed at all, it must have been centred on broader political balance and the possibility of supporting Kogi West to produce the governor in 2031, not a restriction of the current administration to a single term.
Within party politics, especially in the All Progressives Congress (APC), processes and structures matter. Party strength is built through congresses, internal democracy, consensus, and performance. Control of party structures does not pass from hand to hand through personal agreements. No individual, regardless of influence or history can privately bind a party, a sitting governor, or the collective will of party members across a state.
Some have also assumed that higher authorities may compel the state to hand over party leadership to their person of interest during the next congress. This assumption does not align with party reality. The APC recognises its sitting governor as the leader of the party in the state, and it’s non-negotiable. Do you suggest that established party norms and logic will be ignored, simply because the discussion involves Kogi State.
Political support during elections is important, but it is also collective. Elections are not won by one person alone. They are the result of combined efforts by party members, supporters, leaders, and voters. To later attach fixed conditions to that collective effort, especially conditions that were never openly stated, is an attempt to rewrite history. “Say no” to manufactured assumptions.
Feel free to stand with whoever you want in APC, but you must understand that the party is one. Support is not a mortgage on the future. It should not come with hidden clauses.
At this point, Kogi State deserves focus, not distractions. The people voted for governance, stability, and development. The responsibility of leadership is to deliver results, not to be dragged into manufactured political debates that do not help the state move forward.
Politics will always exist, but it must not be allowed to overshadow governance.
It must be stated again, clearly and without emotion: there is no one-term agreement anywhere. Political maturity requires honesty, respect for institutions, and engagement through lawful and recognised party channels. Anything outside this remains speculation, not fact.
Truth does not need noise to stand.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, JANUARY 21ST 2026)
