Regarded by many as a pivotal national conversation, the popular programme Beyond the Headlines on Freedom Square TV, hosted by Sir Uchenna Cyril Anioke, featured Chief Matthias Omeh (PhD),Chairman of Nsukka Microfinance Banks, Chairman of the Governing Council at Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, and former Enugu State Commissioner for Agriculture. The discussion focused on: Peter Obi’s One-Term Presidency: Sincerity or Desperation?
The conversation was sparked by Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo’s criticism of Mr. Peter Obi’s vow to serve only one term if elected president. In a fiery comment at a political rally, Soludo dismissed the idea of a one-term presidency as lunacy, stating, “Anybody, any politician who said that must be sent to a psychiatric home, because the person must have some mental problem.”
However, Chief Omeh responded with a measured but firm defence of Obi’s declaration. He pointed to the Nigerian Constitution, Chapter VI, Section 135(2), which provides for a renewable four-year presidential tenure, noting that a candidate voluntarily limiting themselves to one term is not unlawful nor unprecedented. He cited similar promises by political figures like Rotimi Amaechi and Atiku Abubakar, both of whom pledged to serve only a single term if elected.
But what makes Obi’s statement stand out? According to Omeh, it is Obi’s reputation for honesty and his track record of integrity. “He is a man of his word,” Omeh asserted. Critics, he said, are afraid that Nigerians particularly the North will believe him and that such belief will change the political equation.
On Obi’s much-debated promise to the late Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu to remain with APGA, Omeh brushed it aside, stating that Obi wasn’t a typical politician when he made that pledge. At the time, he believed political parties operated on ideology a belief he later found incompatible with Nigeria’s political realities.
More striking was Omeh’s nuanced view on whether Obi’s one-term offer is borne out of sincerity or desperation. “Both,” he answered. Obi’s desperation, he reiterated is a positive one driven by a burning passion to set Nigeria on a path of transformation. He likened it to biblical examples of those who relentlessly pursued change: the blind Bartimaeus, the persistent widow, and the paralytic man.
According to Omeh, Peter Obi does not claim he can fix Nigeria in four years, but he intends to lay the foundation. “A visionary leader needs just four years to turn things around,” he said, “and those clamouring for compulsory eight years suffer from a spirit of entitlement.”
Turning to voter perception, Omeh noted that the average Nigerian is hungry for truth and change, while the elite remain sceptical or even hostile. Some, he argued, view Obi’s mission as a deliberate attempt to break the long-standing political marginalisation of the South East. “We don’t mind if it is just four years,” he said.
“Let the Igbo man be there. Let the yoke be broken. If he does well, we all win.”
In response to former Ebonyi Governor and Minister ,David Umahi’s assertion that no Igbo man can win the 2027 presidency, Omeh disagreed sharply. He pointed to the performance of Peter Obi in the 2023 general elections, where he won the majority of states. “If Dave Umahi contested Presidency in 2023, was he trying to deceive us?” he asked, calling on the South East to reject fear-based politics.
On the rumoured plan by the PDP to lure Obi back, Omeh welcomed the idea on one condition: the party must abandon its master-servant mentality. “Every political party wants Obi,” he declared, “because he is an asset.” Whether Labour, ADC or PDP, Obi’s value is evident.
Yet, Omeh clarified that Peter Obi is “neither here nor there” politically. He described Obi as a bridge between the older and younger generation,a man who may not be a career politician but who understands the political game.
In his closing message, Omeh appealed to the Igbo nation and all Nigerians to embrace Obi’s vision, even if it means starting with four years.
“Let us enter first,” he advised. “Do not write off the Igbo. Support Obi. He has done it before in Anambra, and he can do it again. The signs are there.”
With voices like Omeh’s pushing back against cynicism and calling for renewed faith in political sincerity, Peter Obi’s one-term presidency promise may indeed be more than just words,it could be a strategy to ignite belief in national rebirth.