Six-year single term for president, governors

Recently, 35 members of the House of Representatives initiated a bill proposing for a six-year single term for president and state governors. The bill also proposes the rotation of the presidency among the six geopolitical zones in the country. The initiators of the bill say their proposal will engender a reduction in the cost of governance, bring unity and unprecedented development to the country and ensure a seamless transition.

The lawmakers also seek to amend the constitution to create the office of two vice-presidents from the South and the North. According to the spokesman of the group, Ikenga Ugochinyere, the first vice-president will be a succession vice-president while the second vice-president will be a minister in charge of the economy. The group, among others, also proposed electoral reforms to the effect that all elections from presidential to governorship, from national assembly to state assembly and even local governments are held the same day; and that all election-related litigation must be resolved and determined by the courts within six months before the winners are sworn into office. These proposals are part of the six constitutional alteration bills the lawmakers introduced on the floor of the House. The House is yet to debate on these proposals.

This is not the first time the issue of a single term would come up in Nigeria. It reportedly came up during the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. But people did not quite reckon with it. Former President Goodluck Jonathan proposed it during his tenure. He said it would ensure good governance. Jonathan was particularly concerned about the acrimony which the issue of re-election generated every four years. Though he said he would not be a beneficiary of the policy, speculations were rife that the proposal was to extend his term in office. Hence, people rejected it. The bill was also rejected in 2019 when the member representing Gboko/Tarka Federal Constituency of Benue State, John Dyegh, brought it before the House. 

The major point of the opponents of the six-year single term is that it is not the major problem of Nigeria at this point in time; that it is a misplacement of priority. The Conference of United Political Parties (CUPP), for instance, said Nigeria’s major problem was purposeful leadership and not the tenure of political officeholders. According to the group, whatever be the system in place, it will not work if the leaders lack sincerity.

Another snag here is that for the constitutional alterations to take effect, both houses of the National Assembly, including the majority of the state Houses of Assembly will have to give their support. The Senate said it would only support the single term of six years if it was the popular wish of Nigerians. How to determine this popular wish of Nigerians is another thing entirely.  

Besides, a school of thought feels that the single term policy will not engender accountability among leaders. It argues that once these leaders win election, they don’t bother about what the people feel since they are not going to campaign for re-election. They simply make promises to woo voters and once they get elected, they care less about fulfilling their promises knowing that they have just one term to be in office.

We disagree with this position. The single term proposal has a lot of merits. First, the struggle to win for a second term doesn’t allow leaders to concentrate on their duties. Midway into the first term, they are already thinking of how to win for a second term. Most of them start amassing wealth for this purpose and abandon governance. This engenders corruption in the system. With a single term policy, elections will now be every six years instead of every four years; and incumbent leaders will not have the compelling urge to steal the state resources to fund their campaigns or use state institutions to manipulate election results.

The beauty of the single term proposal is that it comes with the rotational policy clause. This means that there will be a rotation of the position of president or governor among different zones in the country or in the states. Many states have this problem of the zone where a governor should come from. The single term recommendation will address the issue of marginalisation which some zones usually cry against. It will not only give people a sense of unity and equity; it will also bring about enduring peace in the country. When it is the turn of any zone, the candidates for the election will come only from the area it is zoned to. It will also reduce the tension and violence associated with our elections.

No doubt, a six-year single term together with the rotation policy will give people a sense of belonging. It will reduce the urge by politicians to amass money for re-election. It is the best option for the country. The National Assembly should do the needful as it is one of the things that will reduce our political problems in Nigeria.