Lawmakers Push for Single Six-Year Presidential Term in Nigeria
A total of 35 lawmakers in Nigeria’s House of Representatives have commenced advocacy for significant alterations to the 1999 Constitution. The lawmakers plan to end the country’s two-term presidency by introducing a single six-year term for the President while rotating the office among the country’s six geopolitical zones.
Ikenga Ugochinyere, the member representing Ideato South/Ideato North Federal Constituency, Imo State, who spoke on behalf of the group on Monday, June 10, 2024, in Abuja, said the proposed constitutional changes will enhance political stability and cut the cost of governance.
“The reduction in government spending and wastage, efficiency in governance, and national stability by providing a single term of six years for the President and Governors, will go a long way in cost-cutting measures,” he said.
It is not the first time Nigerian leaders have proposed a single term for the office of the President.
President Olusegun Obasanjo, during his administration (1999-2007), forced a bill through the National Assembly that aimed to amend the country’s constitution. One key recommended alteration to the constitution was the adoption of a single term of six years for the President and Governors. However, Obasanjo’s single-term proposal followed his third-term bid, which was rejected not only by the National Assembly in 2006 but also by his Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.
Also, in 2011, then-President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, proposed a similar constitutional amendment, which included a provision for a single term of seven years for the President and Governors.
The current political structure, which allows Presidents and Governors to contest for two terms of four years each, accumulating to a total of eight years, is believed to cost the government several billion each election year. For instance, the National Electoral Commission (INEC) received over ₦300 billion to conduct the 2023 elections.
