The Presidency has directly dismissed a renewed pledge by former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to serve only a single four-year term if elected president, declaring that his words cannot be trusted.
Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, stated this in a post on X while reacting to Obi’s recent interview on News Central Television.
In the interview, Obi said he would serve only one term as president in the interest of stability, stressing that Nigeria’s current challenges required urgent and focused leadership.
“I want to be a one-term president because of stability. I would not stay a day longer than four years,” Obi said during the interview.
The former Anambra State governor also criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over borrowing, insecurity and food policies, alleging that the country had become poorer and more insecure within two years.
He continued, “It’s only two years that someone used to borrow more than all the previous governments put together.
“It’s only two years that Nigeria has been the hungriest country in the world. A president of Nigeria can stay in Abuja, and 200 people die in Jos or in Niger or Benue, and you’re still sitting here.
“When you go to theatres of war, you know how to contribute. So they’ve failed in everything. I said Ukraine, which is at war, is donating grain to Nigeria. Look at what happened to us with our farmers.
“Instead of intervening when there was a crisis, we went to import food and killed all the farmers.”
Reacting, Onanuga accused Obi of having a history of abandoning political allegiances and reneging on past commitments.
“If you believe Peter Obi’s promise to serve only one term as president, you’ll believe anything,” Onanuga wrote.
According to him, Obi once pledged loyalty to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) while serving as governor of Anambra State but later left the party for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“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 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 wrote.
“By his own actions, Peter Obi has shown that his word cannot be trusted. His promises are as fleeting as his political allegiances,” Onanuga stated.
