‘Chop And Chop Democracy,’ Oshiomhole Mocks Obi’s One-Term Presidency Pledge

Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo North, has criticised Peter Obi’s pledge to serve only one term as president if elected, dismissing it as an attempt to practise what he described as “chop and chop democracy”.

Oshiomhole made the remarks on Monday at an All Progressives Congress (APC) rally in Calabar, the Cross River State capital. The rally was attended by Vice-President Kashim Shettima and other party leaders.

Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), had in May pledged to serve only one four-year term if elected president, regardless of the circumstances.

“I want to be a one-term president because of stability,” he said during an interview on News Central Television.

“I would not stay a day longer than four years, even with a gun to my head.”

However, Oshiomhole questioned Obi’s ability to transform Nigeria within four years, citing his performance during his eight-year tenure as governor of Anambra State.

“For you to know what a child will be, you look at his character as a younger person. Peter says he will govern for four years only,” he said.

“If Peter Obi could not fix Anambra state in eight years, how can he look you korokoro in the eye and say he only needs four years? It’s just chop and chop democracy. We want leaders who can speak the truth to the people.”

The former Edo governor also criticised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of spending much of his time abroad and being disconnected from the everyday realities of Nigerians.

“Atiku says we should not go and pray. Alright. Atiku lives in Dubai. He only comes home on the eve of every election. When he loses the next election in February, he will be back in Dubai,” he said.

Turning to Tinubu, Oshiomhole described the president as the best among the presidential candidates, praising his willingness to take difficult decisions that previous administrations had avoided.

He cited the recognition of Cross River as an oil-producing state as one of the benefits of Tinubu’s policies, saying the development would provide the state with a lasting increase in revenue.

“Today under President Bola Tinubu, Cross River is considered an oil-producing state. This is a structural change that will forever increase revenue accruing to the state,” he said.

Oshiomhole also highlighted the student loan scheme, saying it would make tertiary education more accessible to students irrespective of their family backgrounds.

He put the number of beneficiaries in Cross River at 12,503, adding that the scheme would reduce the financial burden of university education on parents.

On infrastructure, the senator said the completion of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway would bring development to Cross River and other states along the route.

He further argued that Tinubu’s removal of the multiple exchange rate system had eliminated the disparity between exchange rates available to privileged individuals and those accessible to ordinary Nigerians.

“Today, the rate of exchange in Calabar is the same rate in my village that is not even on the map,” Oshiomhole said.