A former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Farouq Aliyu, has criticised the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over his recent promise to serve only one term if elected president in 2027.
Speaking on Prime Time, a programme on Arise Television on Wednesday, Aliyu described Obi’s pledge as “rhetoric” and claimed the former Anambra State governor lacked the experience to understand the complexities of governing a country like Nigeria.
“Sometimes when you’re out of office or when you’re not in the place, you’d not know. To me, it’s just rhetoric, and he’s also trying to convince people,” Aliyu said.
He went further to say Obi was “talking out of ignorance,” insisting that leading a state is not the same as running a country.
“Obi is talking out of ignorance. He doesn’t know. States are different from Nigeria,” he added.
Obi, in recent interviews, had stated that he would be willing to serve only one term if Nigerians gave him the chance to lead the country in the 2027 general elections.
Aliyu’s comments have added to the ongoing political debate around Obi’s leadership style and vision for Nigeria, especially as preparations for the next presidential race begin to take shape.