Former House of Representatives Minority Leader, Farouq Aliyu, has dismissed Peter Obi’s recent promise to serve only one term if elected president in 2027, describing the pledge as unrealistic and a reflection of political inexperience.
Speaking on Prime Time, a programme aired on Arise Television on Wednesday, Aliyu took aim at the former Anambra State governor, stating that Obi’s declaration underscores his lack of understanding of the scale and complexity of running a country like Nigeria.
“Sometimes when you’re out of office or when you’re not in the place, you would not know. To me, it’s just rhetoric, and he’s also trying to convince people,” Aliyu said.
Obi, who was the Labour Party’s presidential flagbearer in the 2023 general election, recently restated his readiness to govern for a single term if elected in 2027, promising to use the tenure to lay a lasting foundation for national transformation.
But Aliyu countered that such a commitment suggests naivety about national governance, arguing that state-level leadership does not equate to managing the affairs of an entire country.
“Obi is talking out of ignorance. He doesn’t know. States are different from Nigeria. When you govern a small state, the horizon of a state governor is not as wide as the horizon of a president,” Aliyu said, casting doubt on Obi’s capacity to understand or navigate the broader realities of federal leadership.
Turning his attention to the growing opposition coalition spearheaded by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other third-force figures, Aliyu said while he respects the individuals involved, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) does not consider them a significant political threat.
“We respect them; we admire them as Nigerian leaders, but honestly, they don’t threaten us. All of them are after us. So, we need to spread our tentacles to make sure we pour sand inside their gàárì,” Aliyu stated, using a popular Nigerian idiom that implies deliberate disruption of rivals’ plans.
Aliyu also questioned the viability of the coalition, claiming it lacks cohesion and is driven more by individual presidential ambitions than a unified strategy to unseat the APC.
“Whether they are going to give us a run for our money, I don’t think so. It is a conglomeration of presidential candidates. Virtually all leaders of that group want to be president; unfortunately for them, only one person can be president,” he said.
Aliyu’s remarks come amid renewed political manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 elections, with various opposition figures attempting to consolidate efforts to present a unified front against the APC’s dominance.
