The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has faulted former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over his pledge to serve only one term if elected president, describing such promises as deceptive and unrealistic.

Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Monday, Wike backed former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who had earlier dismissed one-term pledges as impractical.

Wike said, “It’s very clear. El-Rufai said stop saying that you will run for four years, it’s not correct. I don’t want people to be deceived. Circumstances will change. How do you sit down and a president tells you, ‘I will run for four years,’ then you believe him? How can you say that? That is not correct. Don’t tell Nigerians such story.”

He noted that political realities often shift once a candidate assumes power, stressing that “when you get there you will now find out if you will run for a second or third term. Some people even tried to run for a third term.”

Wike also queried Obi’s lack of clarity on which platform he intends to use for the 2027 race, warning that his supporters may be misled.

“This era of social media, which party will you run? Is it Labour? Where will he get the six million votes, under the PDP? Under Labour Party? If you are running, people should know the party you are running.

“They should know the platform. Is it December that he will mention it? Atiku has said he will run in the ADC, Amaechi said ADC, but he has not said where he will run. Why are you keeping your supporters guessing, so he goes where he likes and when we have finished working, he comes back because he’s a saint and there is nobody in PDP,” Wike stated.

The minister further argued that the political momentum Obi enjoyed in the 2023 election would not replicate in 2027.

“Even if you give him the six million votes back, all those who voted for him will continue to vote for him. What happened in 2023 will not be the same,” Wike said.

He maintained that Nigeria’s political dynamics evolve rapidly and urged voters not to be swayed by populist promises that may not hold true in governance.