One-Term Pledge: He Must Have Flunked History, Cited Wrong Examples—and Gullible Obidients Believed Him, Says Onanuga in Attack on Obi

Bayo Onanuga, spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu, has lashed out at Labour Party’s Peter Obi, accusing him of misleading supporters with inaccurate historical references and suggesting the former Anambra State governor “must have flunked history in school.”

In a sharply worded statement on Monday, Onanuga dismissed Obi’s recent pledge to serve only one term if elected president in 2027. Obi had attempted to draw parallels with leaders like Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Nelson Mandela—comparisons Onanuga said were factually incorrect and deliberately misleading.

“Peter Obi, the aspiring presidential candidate of the fledgling opposition party, must have flunked history in school,” Onanuga said. “In justifying his so-called ‘sacrosanct’ pledge to serve only one term of four years, he cited Abraham Lincoln, JFK, and Nelson Mandela as leaders he wanted to emulate.”

He went on to correct the record, stating that Lincoln had already been re-elected and sworn in for a second term before his assassination in 1865. Similarly, Kennedy, who took office in 1960, was assassinated before completing his first term. Mandela, he said, served a full term from 1994 to 1999 and chose not to run again due to old age, retiring at 81.

Onanuga added a pointed jab, saying Mandela’s example would be more appropriate for Obi’s likely challenger for the opposition ticket, who will also be 81 by the 2027 election.

Obi’s remarks, made in response to Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s suggestion that any politician promising a single term should undergo psychiatric evaluation, have sparked renewed debate about the Labour Party candidate’s strategy and credibility ahead of the next presidential race. Despite the backlash, Obi reiterated his vow on X (formerly Twitter) to serve only one term if elected.