By Mohammed Danlami
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has said that his decision to only do one term of four years if he wins the 2027 election is to respect the sanctity of zoning, which he said is stabiliser to the polity despite not being in the Constitution.
Obi who was speaking during an interview on Channel Television programme Politics Today, on Sunday night, said that four years is enough for any serious and sincere leader to make a significant impact.
“One term is enough to establish that good governance is possible, and if they can impact negatively on us for just two years, why won’t someone achieve a lot in four years?
“It’s also to respect the gentleman’s agreement of zoning, which has been a stabilising factor even though it’s not in our Constitution.
“I don’t need a day more than four years. I will show the direction of good governance. In two years, there has been maximum damage. Two years can change it in a good direction. People want to get up and see a president who cares and shows compassion,”
The former governor of Anambra state while responding to questions on the burning issues concerning his ambition, reiterated his determination to run for the presidency again in 2027, stating that he is qualified for the office.
“I’m going to contest for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and I believe I am qualified for it,”
When asked if he would consider to be the running mate to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 election, Obi said emphatically, “This is not in play; nobody has ever discussed that. People assume so many things. Nobody has ever discussed with me whether I am going to be A, B, or C.”
He also debunked rumours making the rounds that he had left the Labour Party following his open support for the adoption of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), by the coalition movement.
“I am part of the coalition which will be able to produce a president with the capacity and compassion to save this country.”
Reacting to his open association with some of the coalition members believed to have played key roles in previous failed administrations, Obi explained that everybody is needed to support the government he intends to form from failing.
“In fact even some who have been in that government, their experience is critical. I can tell you one of the major companies in the world hired two people who have worked in failed companies because they can tell you why they failed. You need the experience of those who have failed and those who have succeeded to move on, and I need everyone.
“It is a critical experience because they know what can fail a system and they know what was wrong with the system.”
Obi equally took a swipe at President Bola Tinubu for alledged lack of compassion over numerous deaths in the country, particularly victims of insecurity.
“Today, we are in a country that has leadership without compassion. Several children died in Ibadan on 18 December last year, and on 19 December, the President of Nigeria flew from Abuja to Lagos for Christmas festivities. There is no compassion, and we can change that if we move in the right direction,” he said.
He also promised to empower states, local governments, and communities to establish police systems alongside the federal police.
“From day one, I will tackle insecurity head-on. Non-state actors cannot be stronger than the state. We must declare war on insecurity, but we must concentrate more on natural security, which is pulling people out of poverty.”
The presidential hopeful accused the Tinubu administration of borrowing more funds than the combined governments of Presidents Goodluck Jonathan, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and Muhammadu Buhari, raising Nigeria’s debt from approximately ₦80 trillion to ₦180 trillion in just two years—with little to show for it.
