Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has again vowed to serve only one term of four years if elected president in 2027.
Speaking during an interview scheduled to air on News Central TV on Thursday, the former Anambra governor said his decision was driven by the need for political stability and respect for power rotation.
“I want to be a one-term president because of stability.
“I would not stay a day longer than four years, even with a gun to my head,” Obi said.
Obi also criticised the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, particularly rising borrowing levels and worsening living conditions, saying Nigeria is currently facing one of its most difficult economic periods.
The former governor finished third in the 2023 presidential election behind Tinubu and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
Following his alliance with the opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress in June 2025, Obi repeatedly pledged to serve only one term if elected.
During a Twitter Space hosted by Parallel Facts on June 30, 2025, Obi said any southern candidate elected president in 2027 should be prepared to leave office by May 28, 2031, in line with Nigeria’s informal power-sharing arrangement and zoning principle.
He noted that rotational presidency between the North and South has long been part of the political balance he supports.
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Obi reiterated the same position in a post shared on his official X account in August last year, where he argued that leadership should be measured by impact rather than longevity 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 Rabiu Kwankwaso later exited the ADC for the Nigeria Democratic Congress on May 3.
Days later, the NDC announced that its 2027 presidential ticket would be zoned to southern Nigeria — a region Obi hails from.
