Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga and Peter Obi.
By Ayobami Okerinde
The Presidency has criticised former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over his renewed promise to serve only one term if elected president, saying his political history shows that his words cannot be trusted.
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stated this in a post on X while reacting to Obi’s recent interview on News Central Television.
In the interview, Obi said he would serve only one term as president in the interest of stability, stressing that Nigeria’s current challenges required urgent and focused leadership.
“I want to be a one-term president because of stability. I would not stay a day longer than four years,” Obi said during the interview.
The former Anambra State governor also criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over borrowing, insecurity and food policies, alleging that the country had become poorer and more insecure within two years.
He continued, “It’s only two years that someone used to borrow more than all the previous governments put together. It’s only two years that Nigeria has been the hungriest country in the world. A president of Nigeria can stay in Abuja, and 200 people die in Jos or in Niger or Benue, and you’re still sitting here.
“When you go to theatres of war, you know how to contribute. So they’ve failed in everything. I said Ukraine, which is at war, is donating grain to Nigeria. Look at what happened to us with our farmers. Instead of intervening when there was a crisis, we went to import food and killed all the farmers.”
Reacting, Onanuga accused Obi of having a history of abandoning political allegiances and reneging on past commitments.
“If you believe Peter Obi’s promise to serve only one term as president, you’ll believe anything,” Onanuga wrote.
According to him, Obi once pledged loyalty to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) while serving as governor of Anambra State but later left the party for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“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 wrote.
“By his own actions, Peter Obi has shown that his word cannot be trusted. His promises are as fleeting as his political allegiances,” Onanuga stated.
it’s only two years that someone used to borrow more than all the previous governments put together. It’s only two years that Nigeria has entered into the hungriest country in the world. A preident of nigeria can stay in Abuja and 200 people die in Jos or in Niger or Bneue and you’re stull sitting here. When you go to theatres of war, you know how to contribute. So they’ve failed in everything. I said Ukraine, which is at war, is donating grain to Nigeria. Look at what happened to us with our farmers. Instead of intervening when there was a crisis, we went to import food and killed all the farmers.
