STRAIGHT TALK BY OBINNA F. NWACHUKWU
Last week, Senate Majority Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele made a controversial statement when he disclosed plans to sponsor a constitutional amendment bill to introduce a single six-year term for the President and state governors.
He said that the constitutional amendment would be considered by the 11th Senate for implementation after the 2027 general elections.
According to the Senate Leader, Bamidele, who made the proposal in an interview with journalists in his office on Tuesday, the legislation would be among the first bills he intends to introduce in the next Senate after the 2027 general elections.
Nigeria currently operates a two-term system under which presidents and governors can serve a maximum of two four-year terms.
However, the Senate leader argued that the arrangement often compels elected officials to begin strategizing for a second term barely midway into their first tenure, thereby diverting attention from governance.
“One of the first set of bills that I look forward to moving, by God’s grace, when we come back for the 11th Senate, God willing, is for a bill that will only make it possible for anyone who wants to be president of this country, or governor in any part of this country, to spend only one term of six years,” he said.
According to him, a single six-year tenure would remove the pressure and distractions associated with seeking re-election.
“So that you don’t even have to worry about wasting almost one and a half years of your first term thinking and struggling and looking forward to how you’ll be re-elected.
“If you know you are there for six years, only one tenure, you put in your best from day one. You know this is the only chance that you have,” Bamidele said.
He acknowledged that the proposal may generate debate and may not attract unanimous support, but insisted that lawmakers must continue to pursue reforms aimed at improving governance.
“That’s my opinion. It doesn’t mean everybody will agree with me. But it also does not mean that I am prevented from doing that because that has not been the law,” he said.
Bamidele further noted that laws are not static and should evolve to meet changing national realities.
I do not know the exact intentions of Senator Bamidele Opeyemi, but all I know is that Nigerians are better off having a term of four years, capable of being re-elected, if need be, for another four years.
While Senator Bamidele and other proponents may argue that a single term reduces election costs, the specific political and social realities of Nigeria make it highly problematic for several reasons.
First, you all must understand that Nigeria’s leadership situation is actually a pathetic one. The only reason most Presidents and Governors perform a little in their first tenure is because they want the citizens to consider them for a second tenure.
A six-year single-term Presidency or Governorship will only create incompetence and a “lame-duck” attitude from day one.
The reason is simple. Once a President or Governor cannot seek re-election, they will have zero electoral incentive to please the public.
Nigeria has such a fragile democratic landscape that a leader with no fear of facing voters again is highly likely to ignore public opinion, abandon campaign promises, and govern with little or no accountability.
By allowing a second term, the Constitution relies on the reward-and-punishment mechanism of democracy.
It enables a sitting President or Governor to be compelled to perform well, remain responsive to the electorate, and deliver on campaign promises during the first four years in order to earn the reward of a second term.
That possibility of re-election is one of the strongest checks on political office holders. Remove it, and you remove one of the few incentives that push many leaders to remain connected to the people.
Secondly, a single term will lead to accelerated corruption.
This is because, instead of focusing on governance, a single-term Presidency or Governorship risks turning governance into a timed looting spree, with leaders knowing they have exactly one shot at power.
A corrupt administration will do nothing but maximize self-enrichment quickly because it does not need to prepare for future elections or seek the approval of voters again. The temptation to grab everything within six years becomes even stronger when there is no electoral consequence waiting at the end of the tunnel.
Similar suggestions for a single tenure have surfaced at different times since the return to democratic rule in 1999, with supporters arguing that it would curb the distractions of re-election campaigns and encourage long-term policy implementation.
One of them is the former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, who recently advocated for a six-year single term for president and governors, with the presidency constitutionally rotated among the country’s six geopolitical zones.
The ADC presidential candidate said he would make the constitutional amendment his top priority if elected.
No doubt, both Atiku and Opeyemi’s six-year proposal would reignite a long-running constitutional debate over the tenure of elected executives in Nigeria.
If formally introduced and passed by the National Assembly, the bill would require far-reaching amendments to the 1999 Constitution and approval by at least two-thirds of the states’ Houses of Assembly before it can become law.
Take it or leave it, the proposal for a single six-year tenure for president and governors in Nigeria is ill-conceived because it does not seek to solve any real problem confronting the country.
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Take it or leave it, the proposal for a single six-year tenure for president and governors in Nigeria is ill-conceived because it does not seek to solve any real problem confronting the country.