2027: Okorocha Reveals Only Problem With Peter Obi’s Presidency

Former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has criticized the pledge by Peter Obi to serve a single four-year term if elected president in 2027, warning that the Igbo nation cannot afford to take such a political risk.

Okorocha described Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), as a fantastic gentleman with a clear head, but argued that his one-term proposal does not align with the strategic long-term interests of the South-East region.

Obi had previously pledged to spend only four years in office if elected in 2027 before relinquishing power back to the Northern region at the expiration of his single tenure.

Speaking on Channels Television on Thursday, shortly after securing a Federal High Court judgment affirming him as the authentic All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Imo West, Okorocha stressed that the Igbo must focus on solid political alliances rather than speculative arrangements.

“Obi is a fantastic gentleman, clear in his head. Oh, there’s nothing wrong with him. But we can’t gamble. We can’t do a four-year gamble this time,” Okorocha said.

While acknowledging that he had advocated for a single-term presidential structure in the past, the former governor maintained that shifting political realities demand a re-evaluation of tactics.

He argued that major political decisions must be guided by strategic interest rather than public emotion or sentimental alignments.

“So we are supporting Tinubu, not on an emotional or sentimental basis, but for a strategic alliance,” Okorocha stated, adding that political choices made today will directly dictate future opportunities for an Igbo presidency.

He insisted that the South-East region should leverage its political weight to negotiate concrete power-sharing agreements instead of relying on a four-year single-term promise.

Okorocha added that he plans to initiate consultations with key regional stakeholders on the matter, expressing confidence that his political counsel will be well received.

“I have not spoken to anybody, but I will speak, and they will hear me. They will listen to me,” he said.