Why South-East Won’t Support Peter Obi’s One-Term Presidency Proposal — Ikonne

Why South-East Won’t Support Peter Obi’s One-Term Presidency Proposal — Ikonne

A former Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Paul Ikonne, has strongly criticised the proposal by former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, to serve only one term if elected President in 2027.

Ikonne, who is also an aspirant for the Abia South Senatorial seat, said the South-East would reject any arrangement that limits an Igbo presidency to four years when other regions had enjoyed two terms of eight years in office.

Speaking during a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, the APC stalwart argued that the proposal undermines the long-standing agitation for an equitable power-sharing arrangement in Nigeria.

According to him, no serious political stakeholder from the region would support a four-year presidency for the South-East.

“Why would he come and say he wants to be President for four years? He is trying to deprive Southeasterners when other regions are doing eight years. No South-East man will vote for such a thing,” Ikonne declared.

“We are not looking for a President that will just stay there for four years. We want to produce, when the time comes, an Igbo President that will be there for eight years.”

The comments followed recent political discussions triggered by Obi’s reported promise to serve only one term if elected in 2027 — a move believed by analysts to be aimed at attracting broader political support across the country.

Ikonne, however, described the idea as politically unacceptable to many people in the South-East, insisting that the region deserved equal treatment in Nigeria’s presidential power rotation formula.

The APC chieftain recently unveiled a political mobilisation platform known as Asiwaju Tsunami 2027 in Abia State to galvanise support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the next general election.

Describing Tinubu’s performance in the South-East during the 2023 presidential election as only “a wind,” Ikonne predicted that the 2027 poll would witness “a tsunami” of support for the President across the region.

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“So 2023 was wind, but in 2027 Asiwaju is coming with tsunami,” he said.

He further claimed that governors and major political stakeholders in the South-East were already aligning with Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.

According to him, even governors elected on opposition platforms were allegedly maintaining cordial relationships with the presidency.

“One clear indication is that when the governor who came on board through Labour Party is now supporting the President, it means the President has no opposition in Abia State,” Ikonne stated, in an apparent reference to Abia State Governor Alex Otti.

Ikonne also praised Tinubu’s administration for allowing more resources to reach state governments and local councils, arguing that the President’s policies were beginning to attract support from the South-East.

“The President has pushed resources down to governors to implement developmental projects that impact people directly. Nigerians now understand that he means well,” he said.

The APC chieftain disclosed that Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma had constituted a mobilisation team, which he said he belongs to, to rally support for Tinubu among Igbo communities nationwide.

He added that support for the President would come not only from the South-East but also from Igbo traders and residents across Nigeria.

Speaking further, Ikonne claimed that the Labour Party had weakened significantly in Abia State due to internal crises and defections.

According to him, the political momentum enjoyed by Obi during the 2023 general election had reduced considerably ahead of 2027.

“Labour Party is not really on ground in Abia State. The party has been battling one crisis after another,” he said.

Ikonne also criticised Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, accusing the lawmaker of spending nearly 20 years in the Senate without meaningful constituency projects.

“Abia South is the economic hub of Abia State and even the South-East because Aba is the commercial nerve centre of the region. Yet there is nothing to show for nearly two decades in the Senate,” he stated.

He insisted that the people of Abia South were ready for new leadership and political direction ahead of the next election cycle.

Political observers say Obi’s reported one-term proposal has continued to generate mixed reactions across Nigeria, particularly in the South-East where many believe the region deserves a full two-term presidency if given the opportunity.

While supporters of the proposal see it as a strategic compromise capable of easing regional political tensions, critics within the APC insist it shortchanges the South-East and weakens the region’s bargaining power ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The debate is expected to remain a major issue in Nigeria’s political landscape as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify.

Why South-East Won’t Support Peter Obi’s One-Term Presidency Proposal — Ikonne