BY OKECHUKWU OBETA, Awka; NNAMDI MBAWIKE, Enugu and KALU EZIYI, Umuahia
Some Igbo leaders have backed Mr Peter Obi’s pledge to serve only one term if elected president in 2027, describing the decision as being in the national interest.
Two former leaders of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ichie Damian Okeke-Ogene, the immediate past national vice president, and Chief Emeka Attamah, former special adviser on Media and Publicity to ex-president general, Chief Nnia Nwodo, spoke with LEADERSHIP Weekend.
The endorsement comes amid public debate over Obi’s announcement that he would limit himself to a single four-year term if he wins the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Asked whether Obi consulted Igbo leaders before making the promise, the Ohanaeze chieftains said such consultation was not necessary because he is running as a Nigerian candidate, not as an “Igbo candidate.”
Okeke-Ogene said, “His Excellency, Mr Peter Obi is not an Igbo candidate. He is contesting to be President of Nigeria as a Nigerian. So he doesn’t need to consult Igbo leaders before making any decision on how he will serve Nigeria.”
On his part, Attamah said Obi must have consulted Igbo leaders who are genuinely committed to his ambition.
“He certainly must have consulted Igbo leaders genuinely committed to his presidential ambition. He couldn’t have consulted those vehemently opposed to it for selfish reasons,” he stated.
Attamah added that Obi’s ambition aligns with the long-standing Igbo quest for the presidency.
“It surely aligns with the Igbo agenda because, apart from breaking the jinx on Igbo presidency, his expected stellar performance in a four-year presidency will open the eyes of the country to what Nigeria has been missing in Igbo exclusion,” he said.
On the impact of a single term, Okeke-Ogene argued that capacity, not tenure length, determines results.
“Any president who has the capacity to fix Nigeria does not necessarily need to serve two tenures to make an impact,” he said.
He cited the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who once said he needed just 24 hours as president to transform the country.
“Peter is asking for one term, which is four years. But Chief Obafemi Awolowo during his time requested just 24 hours, promising that the period was enough to transform the country. So Peter Obi is not the first person to make such a promise,” Okeke-Ogene noted.
He further linked the pledge to Nigeria’s zoning arrangement.
“Peter is a respecter of the law. He pledged to serve for one tenure because he wants to respect the zoning principle on the rotation of the presidential seat between the North and the South,” he added.
However, the national publicity secretary of the apex-Igbo socio-cultural umbrella, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr Chukwu Ezechi, said that the pledge by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi that he will serve only one term if elected president in the coming 2027 general election not entirely within his exclusive right, and, his political party to take.
He told LEADERSHIP Weekend exclusively that the former Anambra State governor does not need the approval of the leadership of the apex-Igbo group to take decisions concerning his presidential aspiration.
“The decision of Mr Peter Obi that he will serve one term if elected president (in the 2027 general election) is entirely his exclusive right, and his political party.
