The Presidency has dismissed as misleading and historically inaccurate the recent one-term campaign promise made by former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Reacting through the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency described Obi’s reference to historical global leaders such as Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Nelson Mandela as fundamentally flawed and factually incorrect.
Peter Obi, in a widely circulated post on his verified X handle on Sunday, had declared his intent to serve only one term if elected President of Nigeria in 2027. He cited iconic leaders; Abraham Lincoln, JFK, and Mandela as his guiding inspirations for making what he called a “sacrosanct” commitment. Obi’s statement was viewed by political observers as part of early moves to position himself ahead of the 2027 elections and further cement his image as a reform-minded politician willing to break from Nigeria’s political tradition.
However, Onanuga, writing via his own X account on Monday, countered the claims, asserting that Obi’s use of historical figures to justify a one-term presidency was both factually weak and politically convenient. According to him, a simple historical review would have revealed that none of the leaders cited by Obi actually served only one term under voluntary or campaign-committed circumstances. “Abraham Lincoln, at the time he was assassinated, had completed his first term, won re-election, and had already been sworn in for a second term,” Onanuga explained. He detailed that Lincoln took office on March 4, 1861, won re-election in 1864, and was inaugurated for a second term on March 4, 1865, only to be assassinated in April that same year.
Onanuga also corrected Obi’s reference to John F. Kennedy, noting that the former American president did not even complete one term in office. “JFK assumed office on January 20, 1961, and was assassinated on November 22, 1963, which means he did not finish his first term,” he stated, calling the analogy not just misleading but historically hollow.
While acknowledging that Nelson Mandela served a single term as President of South Africa, Onanuga insisted the circumstances surrounding Mandela’s decision not to pursue a second term had little relevance to Obi’s current political context. He argued that Mandela’s choice was influenced largely by age and health concerns, not as a pre-election vow. “Mandela’s example might be more appropriately recommended to Obi’s rival for the opposition ticket, who will turn 81 by 2027,” Onanuga added, in what appeared to be a veiled reference to another senior opposition figure.
The Presidency’s sharp rebuke comes amid renewed public debate over Peter Obi’s political future and the viability of his one-term pledge, a strategy many see as designed to appeal to a broader coalition of voters disillusioned by Nigeria’s protracted leadership cycle. Though Obi has not formally declared his candidacy for the 2027 general election, his recent public statements and visible re-engagements in the political arena have reignited speculations that he may once again seek the presidency.
As Nigeria looks ahead to 2027, conversations about term limits, credible leadership, and voter trust are expected to dominate national discourse. However, the latest exchange between the Presidency and the former Anambra governor signals that political rhetoric ahead of the elections will be met with vigorous fact-checking and swift rebuttals from rival camps, especially on issues that touch on historical precedents and leadership integrity.