Obi’s single-term claim questionable – Onoh

The former southeast campaign spokesman of President Bola Tinubu, Dr. Josef Onoh, has countered the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi’s insistence on serving only one term if elected as president in 2027. Onoh described Obi’s claim as a questionable promise that fails to withstand scrutiny. “We all know that the […]

The former southeast campaign spokesman of President Bola Tinubu, Dr. Josef Onoh, has countered the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi’s insistence on serving only one term if elected as president in 2027.

Onoh described Obi’s claim as a questionable promise that fails to withstand scrutiny.

“We all know that the Nigerian Constitution explicitly allows for a president to serve two terms of four years each, as outlined in Section 137(1)(b). This provision reflects the democratic principle that leaders should have sufficient time to implement their vision while remaining accountable to the electorate.”

“Obi’s vow to limit himself to one term preemptively dismisses the will of the people, who may wish to reelect him if satisfied with his performance. By rejecting this possibility outright, Obi undermines the democratic process and assumes Nigerians cannot be trusted to make informed decisions about their leadership,” Onoh said in a statement.

• Kaduna Islamic Scholars Advocate Child Spacing for Healthier Families
• 2027: Recommend your single term pledge to Atiku, Onanuga tells Obi 

He maintained that Peter Obi’s stance raises questions about his commitment to democratic principles, as it prioritizes personal conviction over the constitutional framework, and faulted Obi’s historical examples of Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy and Nelson Mandela as misapplied, misleading and contextual irrelevant examples to bolster his case.

“May I educate Peter Obi on political history. Lincoln and Kennedy operated in a different political systems with no constitutional term limits at the time, and their legacies were shaped by extraordinary circumstances, not a deliberate choice to serve one term.

“Mandela’s decision to serve one term was unique to South Africa’s post-apartheid transition, where he prioritized national reconciliation and institutional stability over personal ambition. Nigeria’s current challenges—economic instability, insecurity, and systemic corruption—require sustained leadership over a longer period to achieve meaningful reform. Obi’s comparison to these figures is a rhetorical flourish that ignores Nigeria’s distinct context and the complexity of its governance challenges.”

Onoh noted that while Obi claims his that “word is his bond,” his political history suggests otherwise.

“He never kept his word to my late brother-in-law Dim. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu and I recall pointing it out on different occasions. During his tenure as Anambra State governor, Obi was known for strategic political maneuvers, including switching parties (from APGA to PDP) to further his ambitions.

“His promise to serve only one term, conveniently aligns with the current political climate, where coalition-building among opposition parties requires compromises to gain support. This vow appears less like a principled stand and more like a tactical move to assuage coalition partners wary of his long-term dominance.”

Onoh went further to remind Obi that he probably has forgotten that Nigerians have seen similar promises from politicians such as pledges of transparency or economic reform that dissolve once power is secured, warming that Obi’s claim lacks a binding mechanism to make it unenforceable, hence it’s unreliable.