June 15, (THEWILL) – Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has rekindled another round of debate over a proposed constitutional amendment for a single term of five or six years for elected officials at all levels of government in Nigeria.
The idea has been on the front burner since 2011 when former President Goodluck Jonathan muted it and he was forced to beat a retreat following an accusation of self-succession, revived last year by a group of lawmakers in the House of Representatives where it passed second reading before it was thrown out.
Speaking from experience, Governor Makinde, who is serving the sixth year of his two-term tenure, said the adoption of a single five or six -year tenure for elected officials would ensure focused service delivery.
Speaking during a visit from a delegation of Muslim faithful, including clerics, traditional rulers and political leaders, at his residence in Ikolaba, Ibadan, following the Eid-el-Kabir prayers at Agodi Eid Ground, the governor stressed the need for a focused governance period, suggesting that a single six-year term would allow leaders to concentrate on their mandates without the distractions of re-election campaigns.
“I was just looking at the trajectory for me in government. I have spent six years already and due to no fault of anybody, we lost the year 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he told the delegation, led by Deputy Governor Bayo Lawal, including prominent figures such as Senator Rashidi Ladoja, former Deputy Governor, Amb. Taofeek Arapaja and Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Dawodu Makanjuola.
He further said, “We lost almost one year, campaigning all over the place for the second tenure. Now, people have started distracting us on what I want to do next and all of that. So, I feel that, effectively, the time we can say we are very serious with governance is just about five out of the eight years.
“That is why I feel if you remove these distractions, a single tenure of five or six years is actually enough to focus and do the work that we are trying to do in eight years.
“Well, we shouldn’t be afraid to say the facts based on data that is available to us. It has nothing to do with me. If they say I should end it, so be it.
Referencing the ongoing discussions around the issue in the National Assembly, Makinde called for broader consideration of the proposal among the populace.
“So, I am just calling the attention of our people to this because it is a constitutional issue. We should start looking at it. I know that it has been brought to the attention of the National Assembly but, quite frankly, it is a model that should work for this country.”
Makinde’s proposal is however coming eight months after the House of Representatives on November 21, 2024 rejected a bill seeking to amend the 1999 constitution to allow for a single tenure of six years for the President, state governors and area council chairmen.
The bill, sponsored by the member representing the Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency, Imo State, Ikenga Ugochinyere and 33 others, also sought the rotation of the Office of the President between the North and South regions and the governorship among the three senatorial districts in each state of the federation.
The proposed legislation seeks to alter Sections 76, 116, 132, and 136 in the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The general principles of the bill noted, “These amendments are to ensure inclusive governance and to curb wastages occasioned by four-year periodic elections.
“The bill, among others, seeks amendment of Section 132 of the Principal Act by inserting a new subsection (2), deleting the extant subsection (4) and renumbering the entire section accordingly to provide that an election to the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be rotated between the North and the South regions of the country every six years.
“Other amendments include, Section 76 of the Principal Act is altered by inserting a new subsection (3) as follows; (3) For the purposes of Section (1) of this section, all elections into the offices of President, Governors, National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly shall hold simultaneously on the same date to be determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission in consultation with the National Assembly and accordance with the Electoral Act.
“If a person duly elected as President dies before taking and subscribing to the oath of allegiance and oath of office or is for any reason whatsoever unable to be sworn in, the person elected with him as First Vice President shall be sworn in as President and he shall appoint a new First Vice President with the approval by a simple majority of the National Assembly at a joint sitting.”
The bill was rejected by the lawmakers when it was put to a voice vote by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas who presided over the plenary.
In 2011, then President Goodluck Jonathan proposed a constitutional amendment to allow presidents to serve a single, six-year term instead of the current two four-year terms. The move, which Jonathan clarified wouldn’t take effect until after his term ended, aimed to reduce the focus on re-election and encourage a more governance-oriented approach.
Despite reassurances that the he would not benefit from the proposed amendment, insisting that the idea was intended to come into effect in 2015, Jonathan was criticised by those who argued that the proposal was a power grab to extend his tenure, while others worried that a single six-year term might lead to corruption and abuse of power.
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