Governor Soludo Shades Peter Obi, Says He Needs Psychiatric Treatment pic.twitter.com/aXApxH53e3
— Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) August 2, 2025
AWKA, ANAMBRA STATE — Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has ignited a political firestorm by asserting that any politician who promises to serve only a single term in office should undergo a psychiatric examination. The governor made the controversial statement on Saturday during a rally in Anambra South, where he was campaigning for his second-term re-election.
Soludo’s comments are widely seen as a direct rebuke of opponents who have used the promise of a one-term tenure to appeal to voters on the grounds of power rotation and zoning. His criticism follows recent statements from high-profile politicians, including former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, who affirmed his willingness to serve a one-term presidency if a coalition agreement for the 2027 elections required it. Similarly, George Moghalu, a candidate in the Anambra governorship race, has pledged to serve only one term to encourage power rotation within the state. Also, Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation, has pledged his willingness to serve only one term if elected president in 2027.
Speaking to his supporters, Soludo questioned the rationale behind such pledges, arguing they are an insult to the electorate’s intelligence and contradict the Nigerian Constitution, which allows for two terms in office.
“How can anybody with a functioning brain say that?” Soludo asked. “Do you think you’re speaking to fools? You come before people and declare, ‘I will only serve one term.’ Any politician who says that should be taken to a psychiatric hospital. Something must be wrong with the person.”
The governor also used the platform to reinforce his focus on competent leadership, criticizing those he described as “street urchins” and politicians without requisite qualifications aspiring to the governorship. He stressed that a leader’s focus should be on a two-term vision for governance, not on a politically convenient promise to leave office early.