{"id":127065,"date":"2026-05-15T02:43:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T01:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=127065"},"modified":"2026-05-15T02:43:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T01:43:15","slug":"2027-obis-single-term-pledge-sparks-fresh-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/2027-obis-single-term-pledge-sparks-fresh-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"2027: Obi\u2019s single-term pledge sparks fresh debate\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Oscar Okhifo<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The one-term presidency pledge by former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, has sparked fresh debate ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the Presidency and a veteran journalist questioning the credibility and practicality of the promise.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Thursday dismissed Obi\u2019s assurance that he would serve only one four-year term if elected president, urging Nigerians not to take the pledge seriously.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Onanuga made the remarks in a post on X while reacting to Obi\u2019s repeated insistence during a television interview that he would leave office after one term if elected president in 2027, a position he linked to fairness and zoning considerations.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The presidential aide argued that Obi\u2019s political history reflects shifting commitments across different political platforms, including the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), insisting that such promises should not be taken at face value.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Obi had said during the interview: \u201cI will not stay a day longer, even with a gun to my head.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cIf you believe Peter Obi\u2019s promise to serve only one term as president, you\u2019ll believe anything,\u201d Onanuga wrote on X.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cPeter Obi has changed political platforms and positions several times. Nigerians should not take such promises seriously,\u201d he added.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Onanuga maintained that Obi\u2019s past political actions show inconsistency, insisting that his pledges \u201ccannot be trusted.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some Nigerians have also alleged that Obi had promised the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu he would never leave the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), a commitment many supporters of the late statesman reportedly believed he held strongly until his death.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Obi, however, later defected to the PDP after completing his tenure as governor of Anambra State.\u00a0 Although he has never publicly confirmed making such a promise to Ojukwu.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Political observers say the allegation, whether true or not, may further fuel skepticism among some Nigerians over Obi\u2019s latest pledge to serve only one term if elected president in 2027.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Adding to the debate, veteran journalist and co-anchor of Political Platform on Raypower FM, Mustapha Mohammed, also questioned the practicality of Obi\u2019s pledge, saying it would be difficult for any sitting president to voluntarily step down after only one term in office.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cPower is intoxicating. It is difficult for any sitting president to willingly walk away after one term,\u201d Mohammed said during the programme.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He added that political promises made before elections often change once politicians assume office and begin to face pressure from supporters and political stakeholders.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cWe have heard similar promises in the past. Once incumbency sets in, the calculations usually change,\u201d he added.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mohammed further described such commitments as political rhetoric rather than binding undertakings, pointing to past similar statements by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, which he said were widely dismissed by Nigerians at the time.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The development adds to growing political discussions ahead of the 2027 general elections, as major political figures continue positioning themselves for the race.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Oscar Okhifo The one-term presidency pledge by former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, has sparked fresh debate ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the Presidency and a veteran&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":127066,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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