The Presidency has criticised former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over his renewed pledge to serve only one term if elected president, saying his political history shows that his words cannot be trusted.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the remarks 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 in office in the interest of national stability, insisting that Nigeria’s current challenges require 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.
The former Anambra State governor also criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over borrowing, insecurity and food policy, alleging that Nigeria had become poorer and more insecure within two years of the current government.
He said: “It’s only two years that someone has borrowed more than all previous governments put together. It’s only two years that Nigeria has become one of the hungriest countries in the world. A president of Nigeria can stay in Abuja, and 200 people die in Jos, Niger or Benue, and you are still sitting here.”
Obi added: “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 has happened to our farmers. Instead of intervening during the crisis, we went to import food and destroyed local farming.”
Reacting, Onanuga accused Obi of having a history of shifting 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.
He alleged that Obi, while in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), once pledged loyalty to the party during his tenure as governor of Anambra State but later defected to 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 the 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 stated.
He concluded that Obi’s record shows inconsistency in his political commitments, saying: “By his own actions, Peter Obi has shown that his word cannot be trusted. His promises are as fleeting as his political allegiances.”
