Presidential aspirant Peter Obi has reaffirmed his commitment to serving only a single four-year term if elected President of Nigeria, insisting that he would not remain in office beyond that period under any circumstance.
Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party and finished behind former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and President Bola Tinubu, made the declaration during an interview.
“I want to be a one-term president because of stability,” Obi said.
“I would not stay a day longer than four years, even with a gun to my head.”
The former governor of Anambra State also criticised the economic policies of the Tinubu administration, particularly rising borrowing levels and the increasing cost of living, arguing that Nigeria was currently experiencing one of its most challenging economic periods.
Obi’s renewed pledge comes amid his continued involvement with opposition political movements ahead of the 2027 general election.
After aligning with a broader opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress in June 2025, Obi repeatedly stated that he intended to govern for only one term if elected in 2027.
Speaking during a Twitter Space hosted by Parallel Facts on June 30, 2025, Obi argued that any southern candidate elected president in 2027 should leave office by May 28, 2031, in line with what he described as Nigeria’s “unwritten power-sharing agreement” and zoning principle.
He maintained that the zoning arrangement, which rotates the presidency between the North and South, remained an important political balancing mechanism that he had consistently supported.
In a post shared on his official X account last August, Obi defended his position by referencing global leaders who, according to him, made lasting impacts despite serving short terms in office.
“One of the greatest American presidents, Abraham Lincoln, served only four years, yet his legacy endures. John F. Kennedy did not complete a full term, but his ideals still inspire,” he wrote.
“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.
“Indeed, history shows that the longer many African leaders remain in power, the more likely they are to be corrupted by it.”
Obi and former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso had earlier exited the ADC for the Nigeria Democratic Congress on May 3.
Days later, the NDC announced that its presidential ticket for the 2027 election would be zoned to the southern region, a move widely viewed as favourable to Obi’s political ambitions and regional support base.
