Former Labour Party presidential campaign spokesman Kenneth Okonkwo says the one-term presidency being proposed by Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 election was first advanced by him as a political strategy.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, Mr Okonkwo explained that the arrangement was designed to balance power rotation between the North and South and avoid alienating either side of the country.
“I was the one who propounded it (one-term presidency) as a theory, saying that any party that is serious about fighting an incumbent must have to say that whoever is going to contest should have to do one term so that no side will feel cheated,” he said.
He added, “So if you are a southerner, if you don’t agree to do one term, the northerners will say you want to do another eight years, which will offend the system. If you are a northerner, if you don’t agree to do one term, the southerners will say that means you want to cut us short early.”
Okonkwo said Obi adopted the one-term pledge because he recognised the risk of losing northern support without it.
He recalled that former vice president Atiku Abubakar first made a similar pledge in the past.
Obi, who contested in the 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party, declared his intention to run again in 2027.
The former Anambra governor made the declaration during a live session on X Spaces.
He said he would serve only one four-year term if elected, promising to stabilise the country within two years.
Okonkwo, who left the Labour Party after accusing Obi of weak leadership, was one of the key figures in his 2023 campaign.
