The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has faulted former Imo State Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha, over his criticism of Peter Obi’s pledge to serve only one term if elected President in 2027, insisting that the commitment is a sacrifice for national stability rather than a political gamble.
The party’s Director-General of the National Campaign Council, Mallam Ibrahim Hussain Abdulkarim, stated this in a response to Okorocha’s remarks on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where the former governor described Obi as “a fantastic gentleman; clear in his head,” but questioned the wisdom of his single-term pledge.
While acknowledging Okorocha’s positive assessment of Obi, the NDC disagreed with his description of a four-year presidency as “a four-year gambling.”
Citing Section 135(2) of the 1999 Constitution, Abdulkarim argued that the President’s tenure is four years, with the option of seeking another four-year term, maintaining that the provision makes a single presidential term constitutionally permissible.
“In law, ‘may’ is permissive, not mandatory. A single term is therefore constitutional. It is not a gamble,” he stated.
The NDC campaign chief further defended Obi’s pledge by contrasting it with Nigeria’s experience during the eight-year administration between 2015 and 2023, which he blamed for rising inflation, a weakened naira, increasing public debt, widespread poverty and insecurity.
According to him, the country’s challenges demonstrate that extended tenure does not automatically translate into effective leadership or improved living conditions.
“Peter Obi’s offer is a performance bond, not a gamble. He has pledged to serve one term, to be judged strictly by results, and to hand over power in 2031 in recognition that it is the turn of the North. This is sacrifice for national stability,” Abdulkarim said.
He maintained that leadership should be assessed by its achievements rather than the number of years spent in office, arguing that Nigeria’s problem was not a shortage of time but the failure of successive administrations to utilise their time effectively.
“Leadership is measured by impact, not duration. Nigeria’s problem has never been insufficient time. It has been the repeated failure to use time well,” he added.
Abdulkarim said Obi’s proposed four-year tenure would be devoted entirely to delivering measurable results, insisting that voluntarily relinquishing the opportunity to seek a second term should be viewed as a commitment to national interest.
“When a man entitled to eight years voluntarily chooses four and invites the nation to judge him by results, he is not gambling. He is sacrificing,” he stated.
The NDC campaign council director-general concluded that Obi’s single-term pledge was intended to provide a time-bound response to Nigeria’s challenges.
“This is not a gamble. It is a rescue mission with a deadline,” he declared.
The statement was signed by Mallam Ibrahim Hussain Abdulkarim, Director-General of the National Campaign Council of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
