By our reporter
Presidential hopeful for the 2027 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has restated that, if elected, he will serve just one term of four years.
Addressing fears in some quarters that he may seek re-election after the first term, Obi said his promise is sacrosanct, pointing to his personal track record down the ages of sticking to his promises always.
Recall that last month, Secretary-General of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Anthony Sani, while speaking to a national daily, had said the North does not trust Obi to do just one term as promised, saying former president Goodluck Jonathan, a Southerner, also promised a term in 2011 but ran for re-election in 2015.
He said: “The North will prefer to let President Bola Tinubu complete the tenure meant for the South. This is because he is the only Southerner who has only one term to go.
“The North cannot trust Peter Obi that he will do one term. You would recall President Jonathan pledged to do one term but reneged.”
His assertion and those of some other Northern politicians sparked debate in the polity even as the opposition coalition African Democratic Congress (ADC), jointly spearheaded by a Northerner, former Vice President (VP) Atiku Abubakar, Obi himself, former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola,former Senate President David Mark,former Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi, and others, insists on unseating President Bola Tinubu, who is poised to seek re-election, in 2027.
But, in a statement he issued today, August 3, Obi declared that he will do no more than one term.
A gentleman’s political agreement between the North and South of Nigeria sees each region staying in office for the constitutionally-allowed maximum two terms.
By 2027, Tinubu will have spent the South’s first term; meaning only one more term is allowed the region till 2031 when it will be the turn of the North.
In his statement titled ‘My One-Term, Four-Year Vow Is Sacrosanct’, Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, noted that those skeptical of his one-term pledge are judging him by their own standards.
His words: “John F. Kennedy, did not even complete a full term, yet his vision and ideals continue to inspire generations. In Africa, Nelson Mandela, revered globally as a symbol of justice and reconciliation, chose to serve only one term as President of South Africa, despite immense public pressure to stay longer.
“His decision was a deliberate act of leadership, a statement that power must serve the people, not the self.
“I understand the basis of their scepticism. They are judging me by their own standards – where political promises are made to be broken.
“But they forget, or perhaps choose to ignore, that Peter Obi is not cut from that cloth. I have a verifiable track record that speaks louder than speculation.
“My vow to serve only one term of four years is a solemn commitment, rooted in my conviction that purposeful, transparent leadership does not require an eternity.”
