Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has reiterated that he would serve only one term if elected president, insisting he has no intention of remaining in office beyond four years.
Obi made the declaration during an interview on Wednesday, where he said a single tenure would be enough for him to stabilise Nigeria and confront the country’s pressing challenges.
According to the former Anambra State governor, the burden of leadership in Nigeria is too enormous for any serious-minded leader to stay longer than necessary without delivering measurable impact.
“I want to be a one-term president because of stability. I would not stay a day longer than four years… even with a gun in my head”, Obi stated.
He also criticised the current state of the economy and security in the country, arguing that Nigeria’s condition had deteriorated significantly in recent years. Obi claimed that borrowing under the present administration had exceeded what previous governments accumulated over time.
The former presidential candidate further lamented the country’s declining global image and blamed what he described as poor leadership for worsening economic hardship and insecurity.
Speaking on insecurity, Obi questioned why violent attacks and killings could occur in states such as Jos, Niger and Benue while national leaders remained in Abuja instead of visiting affected communities.
According to him, leadership requires direct engagement during crises, stressing that leaders must visit troubled areas, understand the realities on ground and provide practical solutions.
However, Obi’s one-term promise has drawn criticism from presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, who said Nigerians should not trust the former governor’s political commitments. Reacting in a post on social media, Onanuga argued that Obi’s political history raises doubts about the credibility of his latest pledge.
The presidential aide recalled that while Obi was in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), he allegedly vowed never to leave the party and also assured the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu of his loyalty.
According to Onanuga, Obi later left APGA for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), adding that the former governor had since moved across different political platforms.
Onanuga wrote: “If you believe Peter Obi’s promise to serve only one-term as president, you’ll believe anything. By his own actions, Peter Obi has shown that his word cannot be trusted. His promises are as fleeting as his political allegiances”.
The presidential spokesperson described Obi as a ‘political rolling stone’, arguing that his frequent political realignments had weakened public confidence in his declarations.
