Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga has criticised opposition politician Peter Obi for citing Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Nelson Mandela as examples to justify his pledge to serve only one four-year term if elected president.

In a post on X, Onanuga said the former Anambra State governor “flunked history” by referencing leaders whose circumstances did not match his position.

He noted that Lincoln, the 16th US president, was re-elected in 1864 and had already been sworn in for a second term before his assassination in April 1865. Kennedy, he added, was killed in 1963 before completing his first term as US president.

Onanuga said Mandela’s case was different, as the former South African president served from 1994 to 1999 and declined a second term due to age, retiring from politics at 81.

“Mandela’s example might be more appropriately recommended to Obi’s rival for the opposition ticket, who will turn 81 by 2027,” Onanuga wrote, in an apparent swipe at another presidential hopeful.

Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, recently reiterated that his commitment to a single term was “sacrosanct”, presenting it as part of his political reform agenda.

In a statement posted on his X handle, Obi referenced global figures such as Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Nelson Mandela, explaining that each led with principle and left enduring legacies despite short tenures.

“Forty-eight months is enough for any leader who is focused and prepared to make a meaningful difference. I do not intend to stay a day longer. History shows that the longer many African leaders remain in power, the more likely they are to be corrupted by it,” he said.

He said sanitising governance, tackling insecurity through the proper use of national resources, improving education and healthcare, supporting small businesses, and transforming Nigeria into a productive economy driven by agriculture, technology, and manufacturing would form key areas of his administration’s priority.