•••“Don’t field candidates seeking a third term” – Warning to Political Parties
Date: MARCH 31, 2026.
Dateline: IBADAN, OYO STATE
The CITY TALK with EGALITARIAN series today (Tuesday 31st March, 2026 ) issues this press statement to sound a clear and urgent warning against the rising, yet veiled, campaign for third-term political ambition in Oyo State – whether for the State House of Assembly, House of Representatives, or any other elective office.
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We call on all political parties operating in Oyo State to immediately renounce and reject any plan to field candidates seeking a third term. We also call on the electorates to use their votes decisively against any party that presents a candidate with such ambition.
To POLITICAL PARTIES: DO NOT TEST THE WILL of OYO PEOPLE
Political parties are the pillars of democracy, but they become threats when they enable power retention beyond reasonable limits. In Oyo State, the unwritten but widely accepted rule is two terms per representative – a rule that has preserved political renewal, accountability, and fairness.
Two terms are more than enough for any serious, God-fearing representative to discharge their duties and serve their constituents. Any individual who cannot deliver meaningful impact in two terms does not deserve a third. Any party that facilitates a third-term bid is sacrificing democratic ethics for political convenience.
Oyo State is not the northern states. In some northern jurisdictions, senators, reps, or assembly members may serve more than two terms due to different political traditions. But the South-West, and Oyo State in particular, has embraced term limits as a tool for justice, equity, and fresh leadership. We will not import a culture of perpetual incumbency.
To the ELECTORATE: YOUR VOTE Is YOUR POWER
We address every voter in Oyo State directly:
• Do not support any political party that presents a candidate with a third-term ambition – at any level.
• Ignore all excuses – “unfinished business,” “experience,” “continuity.” If a representative truly meant well for God and the people, two terms provide ample time to achieve and hand over.
• Remember the words of Segun Akinlabi: “Two-times representation is okay for a good individual to discharge if he/she truly mean Good for his constituents.”
Any candidate seeking a third term is not thinking of you; they are thinking of themselves. Reward parties that respect term limits and punish those that do not.
THIRD-TERM AMBITION MUST NOT FLY in OYO STATE – Period
Let this statement serve as a red line: No third term for any House of Assembly member. No third term for any House of Representatives member. No third term for any political office in Oyo State under the current democratic understanding.
We call on civil society organisations, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and the media to amplify this message. The fight against third-term ambition is a fight for the soul of our democracy.
Signed:
Mr. Segun Akinlabi
Convener, Egalitarian Team
Host, CITY TALK with EGALITARIAN Series
segunoakinlabi@gmail.com
+234 705 667 1465
#OyoStateNoThirdTerm #TwoTermsEnough #EgalitarianPress
