“ACF Hits Back At Obi: ‘One-Term Vow Won’t Fool Nigerians’”

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has dismissed the recent pledge by Peter Obi, the former Labour Party presidential candidate, to serve only one term if elected in 2027, labeling it as mere political strategy rather than a binding commitment.

According to iReporter Online, Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, declared that his vow to spend just four years in office was “sacrosanct,” promising impactful leadership over prolonged tenure.

He referenced global icons such as Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Nelson Mandela to back his belief in transformational leadership within a single term.

However, the ACF is unconvinced. In a reaction shared with Leadership, the group’s spokesperson, Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba, said Obi’s one-term pledge carries no constitutional weight and cannot be enforced. “It’s a campaign tactic, not a legal or constitutional obligation,” he noted.

According to iReporter Online, the ACF reminded Nigerians that former President Muhammadu Buhari had also made a similar one-term promise before eventually seeking and winning a second term.

The forum emphasized that the Nigerian Constitution permits any elected president to seek re-election, regardless of prior personal declarations.

“The idea that politicians must serve eight years is a misconception. The Constitution allows for one term and the possibility of a second—it doesn’t require both,” Muhammad-Baba explained.

He added that Obi’s statement seems more like an appeal to political blocs rather than a genuine constitutional limitation.

According to iReporter Online, the ACF believes that while Peter Obi might genuinely intend to serve only four years, history has shown that such promises often fade once power is attained.

“We cannot and should not hold politicians to verbal pledges that are outside the constitutional framework,” the ACF concluded.

”IREPORTER REPORTS”