Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has reaffirmed his pledge to serve only one term if elected president in 2027, insisting that no pressure would make him stay in office beyond four years.
Obi made the declaration during an interview scheduled to air on News Central TV on Thursday, where he said his decision was informed by the need for political stability and respect for Nigeria’s zoning arrangement.
“I want to be a one-term president because of stability,” Obi said.
“I would not stay a day longer than four years, even with a gun to my head.”
The former Anambra State governor also criticised the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, accusing the government of worsening hardship through rising borrowing and the increasing cost of living.
According to him, Nigeria is currently facing one of its most difficult economic periods, stressing that leadership should focus on improving the lives of citizens rather than clinging to power.
Obi has repeatedly pledged to spend only one term in office since joining opposition coalition talks in 2025 before later moving to the Nigerian Democratic Congress alongside former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
During a Twitter Space hosted in June 2025, Obi maintained that any southern candidate elected president in 2027 should leave office by May 28, 2031, in line with Nigeria’s unwritten zoning arrangement between the North and South.
He also referenced former world leaders, including Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy and Nelson Mandela, saying impactful leadership is not determined by how long a leader stays in office.
However, the Presidency dismissed Obi’s one-term pledge, urging Nigerians not to take the promise seriously.
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a post on X on Thursday, questioned Obi’s credibility, citing his history of leaving political parties after pledging loyalty to them.
“If you believe Peter Obi’s promise to serve only one term as president, you’ll believe anything,” Onanuga wrote.
Onanuga said Obi had a record of changing political platforms despite publicly committing himself to parties that supported his political career.
He recalled that Obi had once vowed never to leave the All Progressives Grand Alliance, the platform under which he became governor of Anambra State, and had pledged loyalty to the late APGA leader, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, before later moving to the Peoples Democratic Party.
“Consider his record: while in APGA, he famously placed himself under a self-curse, vowing never to leave the party that made him governor.
“He gave his word to the Ikemba, even on his deathbed, swearing loyalty and fidelity to APGA.
“Yet, Peter Obi’s pledges have always been short-lived. He ultimately abandoned APGA for the PDP, and since then, he has drifted from one political platform to another, a political rolling stone,” Onanuga stated.
The presidential aide argued that Obi’s movement across political parties had weakened public trust in his promises.
“By his own actions, Peter Obi has shown that his word cannot be trusted. His promises are as fleeting as his political allegiances,” he added.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, left the PDP ahead of the 2023 presidential election and joined the Labour Party, under which he contested for president.