Former spokesperson for the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Kenneth Okonkwo, has said the recent pledge by former Anambra State governor Peter Obi’s, to serve only one term if elected president in 2027 is not an original idea, but a political strategy borrowed from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, Okonkwo explained that Atiku had first promised a single-term presidency in past campaigns to reassure voters about regional balance in power rotation.
Obi’s single-term promise has continued to generate reactions from politicians and political analysts, who are probing his sincerity.
The former governor, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the Labour Party platform, recently announced that he would run again in 2027.
During a live X Spaces session, Obi said he was prepared to serve a single four-year term if elected and promised to stabilise Nigeria within two years.
He also dismissed speculation about a possible joint ticket with Atiku but signalled readiness for coalition talks focused on security, economic revival, and poverty reduction.
According to Okonkwo, Obi only “keyed into” Atiku’s strategy to win support in the North.
He emphasised that the pledge was less about governance and more about managing North–South sensitivities.
“It was even Atiku Abubakar that first of all said he was going to do one term, then Peter Obi now keyed into it because he knows that if he, as a younger person, does not make that promise, he loses the entire North.
“So, it’s purely a political strategy to say, ‘Look, I will not distort power rotation. I’ll just do four years to complete the South’s turn.’ That’s the whole idea,” he stated.
Okonkwo argued that any opposition party serious about defeating an incumbent must adopt such a commitment.
He said the one-term deal reassures both regions that no side would feel shortchanged, whether the candidate comes from the North or South.
