Politics
Tension Rises As Lawmakers Propose Ending Second Terms For President And Governors
Tension Rises As Lawmakers Propose Ending Second Terms For President And GovernorsA legislative proposal is sparking debate across Nigeria as the House of Representatives considers a Bill to change the presidential and gubernatorial terms to a single six-year term.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
Introduced last Monday by a group of 35 members known as ‘The Reformers,’ the Bill also advocates for rotating the presidency among the six geopolitical zones and adding 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 regional agitations, reduce the cost of governance, and promote national unity.
The lawmakers believe that a single, longer term could decrease 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, totaling eight years if re-elected. The Bill proposes replacing this system with a single six-year term, which proponents argue could lead to more substantial policy implementations and less political maneuvering.
The proposal has sparked considerable debate among House members, with some expressing concerns over the Bill’s implications. A deputy chairman of one of the committees, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “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 commented on the Bill, saying, “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. We should focus on implementing appropriate sanctions for those who loot the treasury and deny citizens the basic necessities of life. No matter the system, if those who drive it lack sincerity, it will take us nowhere.”
Abayomi Arabambi, National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, expressed his support for the Bill, stating it would reduce the pressure of infighting for a second term, which leads political officeholders to embezzle funds to finance their re-election campaigns. He added, “If the Bill is passed into law, it would make the President and the governors work and make the masses feel their impact because they would know there is no second term. The rotational arrangement will also give some geopolitical zones the opportunity to produce the president, and the same goes for state governors, which will be rotated among the three senatorial districts in the state. In a nutshell, it will put a stop to marginalization in government.”
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