The National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi, has dismissed the recent statement by Peter Obi, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, in which he pledged to serve only one term if elected in 2027.
According to reports, Peter Obi, during a live session on X Spaces on Sunday night, declared his intention to run for president in 2027.
Speaking to supporters both in Nigeria and the diaspora, Obi stated he was willing to serve a single four-year term if elected and expressed openness to coalition talks, emphasising that such alliances must be centred on solving Nigeria’s fundamental challenges.
On Tuesday, the National Coordinator for the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Yunusa Tanko, disclosed that Obi has submitted his single-tenure proposal to the opposition coalition for consideration.
Speaking on Wednesday on a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese Ijebu, monitored by DAILY POST in Abeokuta, Arabambi described Obi’s claim as “falsehood laced with desperation.”
He said, “That statement about running for just one term is deceptive. In Nigeria’s history, has any president ever truly committed to one term? After a year or two, you’ll start hearing chants of ‘four more years.’ Peter Obi’s promise is inconsistent and dishonest.
“The likes of Obi and his co-farmers, we know what they came to do but for him to claim he’s going to spend just a term is a statement made out of falsehood [and] is impossible.
“He said he will fix Nigeria in two years, a man that cannot even fix Labour Party in six months. He came to make sure our party was an embodiment of his institutional slavery. Where’s the empirical track of his words?”
The Labour Party spokesperson further criticised Obi’s political history, accusing him of destabilising the party after joining in 2022.
“The guy came to scam us in Labour and I will never deviate because we know the intricacies that happened in the party. He moved from APGA to PDP, then came to Labour Party. He’s a political scam. When the time comes, we will expose him,” he added.
Arabambi, however, downplayed the significance of the coalition, describing it as “selfish and personal,” restating that the party would not form alliances with those who, in his opinion, contributed to the current state of Nigeria.
“We are not considering any coalition. The likes of Tinubu, Atiku, and even Obi have brought this country to its knees since 2015. They are birds of the same feather. They should all get out of Nigeria’s political system,” he stated.
