The senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has taken a swipe at Peter Obi’s promise to serve only one term as president, describing the proposal as an attempt to practise what he termed “chop and chop democracy”.
The former Edo State governor made the remarks on Monday in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, during a rally organised by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The event was attended by Vice-President Kashim Shettima and other leaders of the ruling party.
In May, Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), pledged to serve a single four-year term if elected president, even if a gun were pointed to his head.
“I want to be a one-term president because of stability,” he said during an interview on News Central Television.
“I would not stay a day longer than four years, even with a gun to my head.”
‘We want leaders who can speak the truth to the people’
Oshiomhole questioned whether Obi could transform Nigeria within four years, arguing that he had failed to adequately develop Anambra State during his eight years as governor.
“For you to know what a child will be, you look at his character as a younger person. Peter says he will govern for four years only,” he said.
“If Peter Obi could not fix Anambra state in eight years, how can he look you korokoro in the eye and say he only needs four years? It’s just chop and chop democracy. We want leaders who can speak the truth to the people.”
The senator also criticised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, alleging that he spends most of his time outside Nigeria and is disconnected from the everyday struggles of ordinary citizens.
“Atiku says we should not go and pray. Alright. Atiku lives in Dubai. He only comes home on the eve of every election. When he loses the next election in February, he will be back in Dubai,” he said.
Oshiomhole maintained that President Bola Tinubu had emerged as the strongest option among the presidential contenders, crediting him with the courage to implement difficult policies that previous administrations had avoided.
He pointed to the recognition of Cross River as an oil-producing state as one of the benefits of Tinubu’s reforms, noting that the development would permanently boost the state’s revenue.
“Today under President Bola Tinubu, Cross River is considered an oil-producing state. This is a structural change that will forever increase revenue accruing to the state,” he said.
The former governor also highlighted the student loan scheme, saying it would improve access to tertiary education regardless of students’ family backgrounds.
According to him, 12,503 students in Cross River had benefited from the programme, which he said would reduce the financial pressure of university education on parents.
He further argued that the completion of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway would stimulate development in Cross River and several other states.
Oshiomhole also praised Tinubu’s decision to abolish the multiple exchange rate system, claiming it had eliminated the difference between the rates available to privileged individuals and ordinary Nigerians.
“Today, the rate of exchange in Calabar is the same rate in my village that is not even on the map,” Oshiomhole said.