The legislative proposal is stirring debates across Nigeria as the House of Representatives considers a Bill that would change the tenure of the presidency and state governorships to a single six-year term.
A group of 35 members known as ‘The Reformers,’ introduced the Bill in May. It seems not only to alter the term lengths but also advocate for the rotation of the presidency among the six geopolitical zones and the addition of a second vice president.
Ikenga Ugochinyere, a representative from Imo under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a member of The Reformers, explained the motivations behind the Bill.
According to Ugochinyere, the proposed changes aim to address various regional agitations, reduce the cost of governance, and promote national unity.
The lawmakers believe that a single, longer term could decrease the political instability associated with re-election campaigns and allow leaders to focus more on governance rather than electoral politics.
Currently, Nigerian presidents and governors can serve two four-year terms, totalling eight years if re-elected.
The Bill proposes to replace this system with a single six-year term, which proponents argue could lead to more substantial policy implementations and less political manoeuvring.
The proposal has not been without controversy. It has sparked considerable debate among the members of the House of Representatives, some of whom have expressed anxiety over the Bill’s implications.
A deputy chairman of one of the committees, who spoke with Vanguard on condition of anonymity, stated, “I am not a party to that Bill, and whatever my position is will be said on the floor of the chamber.”
CUPP spokesperson, Peter Ameh, speaking on the bill said: “What we have now is good enough if we have purposeful leadership to drive it. “Even if we return to regional government today what we will have is the decentralization of corruption.
“What we should be looking at is putting in place appropriate sanctions for those who loot the treasury and deny citizens the basic necessities of life.
“No matter the system you have in place, if those who are to drive it lack sincerity, it will take us nowhere.”
The National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi, in his take, said he is in total agreement with the proposed bill, saying that it will reduce the pressure of infighting for a second term, which leads our political officeholders to steal money to prosecute their second term project.
He said, “If the bill was passed into law, it would make the President and the governors work and make the masses feel their impact because they knew that there was no room for a second term.
“The opportunity of the second term leads to abandoned projects because they use the uncompleted projects to campaign for second term election.
“The rotational arrangement will give some of the geopolitical zones in the country, who have not had the opportunity of ruling the country, the opportunity and grace to produce the president.
“The same goes for state governors. It will be rotated among the three senatorial districts in the state. In a nutshell, it will put a stop to marginalization in government.”