Onanuga Dismisses Obi's One-Term Presidency Pledge

Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, dismissed former Anambra State governor Peter Obi's pledge to serve only one four-year term as president if elected in 2027, urging Nigerians not to take the promise seriously. Onanuga made the remarks Thursday on X, the social media platform, in response to Obi's recent television interview.

Obi, who ran as the Labour Party candidate in the 2023 presidential election and placed third, reiterated his commitment during the interview on News Central TV. He linked the one-term pledge to principles of zoning and fairness, stating, "I will not stay a day longer, even with a gun to my head." Obi has positioned the promise as a means to ensure power returns to northern Nigeria after his potential tenure.

Onanuga argued that Obi's political history undermines the pledge's credibility. He pointed to Obi's time with the All Progressives Grand Alliance, or APGA, the party under which Obi served as governor, noting allegations that Obi vowed loyalty to the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, APGA's founder known as the Ikemba. Onanuga wrote on X, "If you believe Peter Obi's promise to serve only one term as president,...