Presidency knocks Obi over ‘gun to my head’ one-term vow

 

The Presidency has criticised former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi over his pledge to serve only one term if elected president, saying his political history shows inconsistency.

Obi had said in a viral clip from an interview scheduled to air on News Central TV on Thursday that he would not remain in office beyond four years “even with a gun to my head.”

Reacting on Thursday in a post on X, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, dismissed the promise, insisting that Obi’s past political decisions show a pattern of broken loyalty.

“If you believe Peter Obi’s promise to serve only one term as president, you’ll believe anything,” Onanuga said.

He said Obi had previously pledged loyalty to the All Progressives Grand Alliance while serving as governor of Anambra State but later defected to the Peoples Democratic Party.

“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,” he stated.

According to Onanuga, Obi’s political movements over the years show that his promises are unreliable.

“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 was the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election, where he finished third behind President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party.

He has since joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress following his exit from the African Democratic Congress coalition ahead of the 2027 presidential election scheduled for January 15, 2027.