A member of the opposition coalition and former Labour Party chieftain, Kenneth Okonkwo, has claimed that Peter Obi’s pledge to serve only one term if elected president was a calculated political strategy to win northern support.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, the veteran actor-turned-politician argued that Obi understood the need to make such a promise in order not to alienate northern voters.
Okonkwo explained that in Nigeria’s political climate, any opposition party seeking to defeat an incumbent must assure all regions that no side would feel sidelined.
“So I brought the theory as a way for any opposition party to inspire Nigerians to know that each side will not lose when they make any choice, whether North or South,” he said.
He further stated that the idea of a one-term presidency was not unique to Obi, pointing out that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had made a similar pledge in the past.
“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,” Okonkwo added.
According to him, Obi’s stance was meant to reassure Nigerians that his presidency would not “shortchange” any part of the country, but rather complete the South’s eight-year tenure before power rotates again.