One-term Promise: Obi ‘Under A Self-curse’, Fond Of Making Vows He Can’t Keep — Presidency

By Olumuyiwa Olumuyiwa

The Presidency on Thursday warned Nigerians to be wary of  former Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, noting that the ex-Anambra governor is  fond of making promises he can’t keep.

Reacting to Obi’s  promise to serve only one term if elected president, the presidency said the former governor is incapable of redeeming his promise citing his history of leaving political parties after pledging loyalty to them.

Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the remarks in a post on X, formerly Twitter, alleging that Obi had placed himself “under a self-curse” for failing to keep the promise he made to the late leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, on his deathbed.

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

While further highlighting while Obi’s promise should be taken with a pinch of salt, Onanuga stressed that the former governor has  a record of changing political platforms despite publicly committing himself to parties that supported his political career.

He recalled that Obi had once vowed never to leave the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the platform under which he became governor of Anambra State.

“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.

The presidential aide further argued that Obi’s movement across parties had weakened public trust in his promises.

“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, a former governor of Anambra State, left the PDP ahead of the 2023 presidential election and joined the Labour Party, under which he contested for president.

After failing to realize his presidential ambition on the platform of the LP, he defected to the  African Democratic Congress (ADC) as part of opposition coalition movement planning to wrest the reins of power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.

However, before the ADC could conduct his presidential primaries Obi left the party again for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) where he is in a pole position to run for the presidency in 2027 following the  party’s decision to zone its presidential ticket to the south.