The Presidency and former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, on Thursday traded words over his pledge to serve only a single four-year term if elected president in 2027, with the government dismissing the promise as unreliable.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, urged Nigerians to disregard Obi’s commitment, arguing that the former governor’s political history undermines his credibility.
In a post on X, Onanuga contended that Obi’s assurances should not be taken seriously, citing what he described as a pattern of shifting political allegiances.
“If you believe Peter Obi’s promise to serve only one term as president, you’ll believe anything,” he said, recalling Obi’s past vow of loyalty to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), which he later left for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other platforms.
According to the presidential aide, Obi’s political trajectory reflects a tendency to abandon commitments, raising doubts about his latest pledge.
But Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has repeatedly insisted that he would not exceed a single term in office if elected.
Speaking in an interview with News Central Television, the former governor maintained that his decision was rooted in the need for political stability and respect for Nigeria’s informal zoning arrangement.
“I will not stay a day longer than four years, even with a gun to my head,” Obi said.
He argued that rotational leadership between the North and South remains critical to national cohesion, adding that any southern president elected in 2027 should relinquish power by May 2031.
Obi also used the opportunity to criticise the economic policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, pointing to rising public debt and worsening living conditions as evidence of policy failure.
Nigeria, he said, is currently grappling with one of its most challenging economic periods.
The renewed exchange comes amid shifting political alignments ahead of the next general election. Obi, who finished third in the 2023 presidential poll behind Atiku Abubakar and Tinubu, has continued to position himself within emerging opposition coalitions.
Having reportedly aligned with the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), which has zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, Obi has framed his one-term proposal as both a political compromise and a governance strategy focused on impact rather than longevity.
Drawing parallels with global figures, he has argued that leadership effectiveness is measured by legacy, not duration in office — a position that now sits at the centre of a growing war of words between him and the Presidency.
