Igbo Leaders Endorse Peter Obi’s One-term Pact With Kwankwaso

BY OKECHUKWU OBETA, Awka; NNAMDI MBAWIKE, Enugu and KALU EZIYI, Umuahia

Some Igbo leaders have backed Mr Peter Obi’s pledge to serve only one term if elected president in 2027, describing the decision as being in the national interest.

Two former leaders of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ichie Damian Okeke-Ogene, the immediate past national vice president, and Chief Emeka Attamah, former special adviser on Media and Publicity to ex-president general, Chief Nnia Nwodo, spoke with LEADERSHIP Weekend.

The endorsement comes amid public debate over Obi’s announcement that he would limit himself to a single four-year term if he wins the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

Asked whether Obi consulted Igbo leaders before making the promise, the Ohanaeze chieftains said such consultation was not necessary because he is running as a Nigerian candidate, not as an “Igbo candidate.”

Okeke-Ogene said, “His Excellency, Mr Peter Obi is not an Igbo candidate. He is contesting to be President of Nigeria as a Nigerian. So he doesn’t need to consult Igbo leaders before making any decision on how he will serve Nigeria.”

On his part, Attamah said Obi must have consulted Igbo leaders who are genuinely committed to his ambition.

“He certainly must have consulted Igbo leaders genuinely committed to his presidential ambition. He couldn’t have consulted those vehemently opposed to it for selfish reasons,” he stated.

Attamah added that Obi’s ambition aligns with the long-standing Igbo quest for the presidency.

“It surely aligns with the Igbo agenda because, apart from breaking the jinx on Igbo presidency, his expected stellar performance in a four-year presidency will open the eyes of the country to what Nigeria has been missing in Igbo exclusion,” he said.

On the impact of a single term, Okeke-Ogene argued that capacity, not tenure length, determines results.

“Any president who has the capacity to fix Nigeria does not necessarily need to serve two tenures to make an impact,” he said.

He cited the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who once said he needed just 24 hours as president to transform the country.

“Peter is asking for one term, which is four years. But Chief Obafemi Awolowo during his time requested just 24 hours, promising that the period was enough to transform the country. So Peter Obi is not the first person to make such a promise,” Okeke-Ogene noted.

He further linked the pledge to Nigeria’s zoning arrangement.

“Peter is a respecter of the law. He pledged to serve for one tenure because he wants to respect the zoning principle on the rotation of the presidential seat between the North and the South,” he added.

However, the national publicity secretary of the apex-Igbo socio-cultural umbrella, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr Chukwu Ezechi, said that the pledge by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi that he will serve only one term if elected president in the coming 2027 general election not entirely within his exclusive right, and, his political party to take.

He told LEADERSHIP Weekend exclusively that the former Anambra State governor does not need the approval of the leadership of the apex-Igbo group to take decisions concerning his presidential aspiration.

“The decision of Mr Peter Obi that he will serve one term if elected president (in the 2027 general election) is entirely his exclusive right, and his political party.

“The decision is beyond Ohanaeze because Ohanaeze is not a political party, and Ohanaeze is not the one contesting the election,” the Ohaneze spokesperson said.

He, also, said that Ohaneze does not dictate to any political office aspirant what office to contest for, and, the number of the tenure such person should seek to serve.

The Ohanaeze spokesperson also said that the Igbo apex leadership has not convened any meeting to take any position about the coming general asserting that before such crucial decision could be taken there were several other levels of the Igbo leadership, including the “Ime Obi” and a general assembly of Igbo the should be convened to take such stand.

4 Years Enough To Lay Foundation For Growth, Say Igbo Elders

Meanwhile, prominent Igbo leaders and elders in Enugu State have reacted to the agreement by the presidential candidate of the NDC, Peter Obi and his running mate, Alhaji Rabiu Kwakwanso that he will serve for four years if elected and allow power to go back to the north.

While some maintained that a four-year tenure was enough to lay a good foundation for growth, others described the commitment as personal to Peter Obi, insisting that any Igbo man that wants to come out for president in 2027 has the right to do so.

Some of them told our correspondent that Obi did not consult anybody before making the commitment while some who kept mute on the consultation maintained that it was his personal decision and for Southeast.

In an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP Weekend in Enugu, the founding national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Chekwas Okorie, noted that Obi has been making the commitment since 2025.

He, however, insisted that the statement was his personal commitment, noting that he did not make it on behalf of the Southeast or Ndigbo.

Okorie, however, pointed out that Obi might have considered it wisely that if he was to penetrate the North, he would be able to maintain the unwritten but conventional rotation agreement between the North and the South.

He further stated that Obi might have thought that it is better to commit himself to the remaining outstanding for years for the South in order to get the support of the North.

Okorie further averred that he believed that Obi would not renege in the agreement, noting that the inability of former President Good luck Jonathan to keep to a similar agreement though not signed cost him his ambition.

“So this time around, he (Obi) went further to ensure that his party, the NDC, is on the same page with him. As far as I’m concerned, this is an NDC and Obi commitment. I don’t see Obi’s commitment by any stretch of imagination being considered as the commitment of the people of the Southeast,” he stated.

Also speaking with LEADERSHIP Weekend, a former director-general of the Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, said he agreed that four years were good enough to lay a solid foundation for growth.

He added that he believed that Peter Obi will not renege on the agreement, saying if he does so, the Nigerian electorate would vote him out.

Going down memory lane, Okechukwu noted that one of the greatest factors that made former President Goodluck Jonathan to lose election was his decision to renege on the agreement he signed but maintained that he did not see Obi as a nepotic person.

But, an Igbo leader and elder, Ogbonnia Azuka moved against the one tenure commitment of Obi and expressed dissatisfaction that he signed the agreement without adequate consultation.

Azuka, a political analyst, warned that the Southeast will be at a disadvantaged position if Obi wins because they will serve for only one tenure instead of the constitutional right years

When contacted for reaction, a member of the National Executive Council of Ohanaeze Ndigbo who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “My brother, we are not a party to this agreement. Kindly approach the right people in this regard. Ohanaeze isn’t a political party.”

Some other persons in the corridors of power who were contacted to speak on the matter declined while efforts to speak with the governor directly were not fruitful as at the time of filing this report.

Also reacting, the Abia State chapter chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chukwuemeka Okwuonu said he is not competent to delve into the matter because it is entirely Obi’s personal affair.

‎The chairman, therefore, maintained that whatever the one-time governor of Anambra State and the NDC presidential candidate is doing or not concerning the said agreement is entirely his  business.

According to the state secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Chidi Avajah, Obi is on his own and not pursuing Ohanaeze Ndigbo or South East political agenda for the presidency.

‎He maintained that in his opinion, the South East will not be comfortable with the agreement because it does not appear reasonable and is structurally deficient.

‎”Yes, the zone, like the others, has the right to aspire for the presidency, but it must be at a time when the odds are most favourable and not on such a narrow term,” he said.

Contributing, the chairman of the state chapter of the NDC, Rowland Osundu said the agreement is timely and in tandem with the South East and Ndigbo’s desire for the presidency.

‎He however said he was not aware whether Obi consulted with the apex Igbo sociocultural organisation, elders or political leaders of the zone or not before entering into the agreement.

‎He said it was not possible for Obi to have total support of the zone because of divergent political interests, which he said is normal, “but majority of the people are behind him.”

According to a newspaper columnist, analyst and commentator on contemporary issues, Steve Oko, Obi is running in his personal capacity not as a candidate of any political zone, ethnic bloc, or group in the country.

‎Oko further said Obi may not have found it necessary to consult Ohaneze Ndigbo, the elders or political leaders of the zone on the agreement because they alone cannot make him win the election.

‎He argued that having found himself eminently qualified and capable of delivering his campaign promises within the period, he had been appealing to Nigerians in general who have found the need for change to support his bid.