The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, has stated that he would serve only one term if elected president in 2027.
He reaffirmed his support for Nigeria’s zoning arrangement, which rotates power between the northern and southern regions of the country.
Obi made the declaration during a Twitter Space discussion hosted by Parallel Facts on Sunday. He also pledged to reinforce Nigeria’s democratic framework by promoting vibrant opposition and curbing the practice of elected officials defecting from one party to another.
“If you take the arrangement which is, understandably, what you can call an unwritten agreement that power would go south and north, and if that arrangement is to be followed strictly, you would see that anybody, not just me, who happens to come from the south as president in 2027 must be ready to leave on the 28th of May (not 29th), 2031,” he said.
“I campaigned for zoning. I championed zoning in Anambra State. That is one of the reasons today some people feel we must deal with this man. I insisted on it, I maintained it and I followed it to the last letter, and till today, I still follow it religiously.”
The former Anambra State governor also emphasized the need for a resilient opposition under his leadership and stressed that political cross-carpeting by elected officials would not be tolerated.
“My presidency will ensure there is a strong opposition in party politics. There will be no defection of elected officials to other parties when I am in charge,” he said. “Imagine in this country, people are dying in Benue, Borno, [and other parts of the country], and our leaders are commissioning bus stops and holidaying.”
Obi further distanced himself from coalitions formed solely for political power-sharing purposes, saying his focus remains on genuine transformation that addresses the nation’s challenges.
“If the coalition is about sharing tickets and power for its sake, count me out. I’m not interested. I want a coalition that stops the killings in Borno, puts food on people’s tables, and gets our industries working,” he said.
