The Presidency has vehemently rejected former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s renewed pledge to serve only a single term if elected in the 2027 elections, branding the promise a calculated ploy devoid of credibility.
In a statement released by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Obi’s one-term vow was described as “inconsistent and misleading”, questioning his integrity and suitability to lead Nigeria.
Onanuga dismissed Obi’s comparisons to global icons like Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Nelson Mandela as historically inaccurate and inappropriate. “You’re neither a Mandela nor a Lincoln or a Kennedy. You sound as if you have never held an elected office before,” he said, highlighting Obi’s own pursuit of a second term as Anambra State governor in 2010 as proof of inconsistency.
Stakeholders were also reminded of Obi’s departure from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) despite earlier assurances that he would remain loyal—another example, the Presidency argued, of broken promises. “You talk about keeping your promises or your vow being your bond, but you and I know that’s not true,” Onanuga stated.
The Presidency challenged Obi’s record, pointing out that after serving eight years in office, Anambra State showed limited signs of transformation. “If you couldn’t transform a small Anambra in two terms, how can you guarantee success in just four years as President of a more complex Nigeria?” Onanuga added.
As the 2027 presidential race heats up, the Presidency has maintained that Obi’s pledge lacks trustworthiness—citing a history of inconsistency that, according to the administration, makes such promises unreliable.
Obi, for his part, defended his one-term vow as being rooted in moral conviction rather than political expediency, pointing to revered leaders whose brief but impactful tenures inspired his decision.