2027: I Won’t Stay A Day Longer Than Four Years — Even With A Gun To My Head — Obi

 

 

By Akanni Toba

 

Peter Obi, a  presidential hopeful of the  Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has reaffirmed his resolve to serve only one term of four years if elected president in 2027 adding that his decision is cast in stone as nothing can change it.

 

To further show that his word is his bond, Obi stressed  that even if a gun were pointed to his head he won’t reconsider his position on the single term presidency.

 

 

The ex-Anambra governor made this disclosure during an  interview on News Central TV on Thursday.

 

“I want to be a one-term president because of stability,” he said.

 

“I would not stay a day longer than four years, even with a gun to my head.”

 

 

The former Anambra helmsman also berated the Tinubu administration for implementing policies that have foisted harsh economic conditions on Nigerians.

 

He also criticized the current government’s predilection for borrowing and  the rising cost of living, saying Nigeria has entered one of its most difficult periods ever.

 

Obi polled third in the last general election, behind former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Tinubu, eventual winner of the contest.

 

 

However, it appears the ex-governor’s pledge is taken with a pinch of salt in some quarters as some people are of the opinion that his political trajectory does not reflect that of man who keeps his word.

 

 

Recall that Obi has become a political bird of passage kind of. The politician contested on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to emerge as the governor of Anambra state, a position he held for  two terms of eight years.

 

While in APGA, Obi promised the late Biafran leader, Chief Odumegwu-Ojukwu, that he would not leave the party no matter what happened, adding that he would strengthen the party by acting as its rallying point.

 

However, after his years as governor, Obi defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and even ran as running mate to former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who was the party’s presidential candidate in the 2019 general elections.

 

 

Obi would later leave the PDP for the Labour Party (LP) to contest the 2023 presidential election as the party’s candidate.

 

He came third behind Atiku of PDP and Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the eventual winner of the election and the incumbent president of the country.

 

In June 2025, Obi dumped the LP for the  the opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

 

Since his defection to the ADC, Obi has kept promising to do a single term in office if elected president.

 

People initially took the promise as a “negotiation term” to make northerners in the coalition movement support his presidential ambition.

 

But the ex-governor has kept repeating the promise

 

Speaking during a Twitter Space hosted by Parallel Facts on June 30, 2025, Obi said any candidate from the south elected president in 2027 must be prepared to leave office on May 28, 2031, in line with the “unwritten power-sharing agreement” and the zoning principle.

 

He added that the zoning principle — which rotates the presidency between the north and south — is a commitment he has long championed.

 

In a post on his official X page in August last year, the former running mate emphasised his one-term pledge.

 

He said history has shown that purposeful leadership is not defined by how long one stays in power but by the impact made within a short period.

 

 

 

“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.”

 

Meanwhile, Obi has found a new ally in  Rabiu Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano, with whom together they left the ADC  for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) on May 3.

 

Barely a week after their defection to the NDC,  on May 9,  the party gave Obi a headstart in a race to secure the party’s presidential candidate by zoning its presidential ticket to the south of Nigeria ahead of the 2027 election.

 

Obi is from Anambra State which is located in the Southern region of the country.