Bamidele Pushes Six-Year Single Term for Presidents, Governors

Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has disclosed plans to sponsor a bill seeking to introduce a single six-year tenure for presidents and governors, arguing that the reform would allow elected leaders to focus more on governance and less on re-election campaigns.

 

Bamidele made the disclosure during an interview with journalists in his office on Tuesday, stating that the proposal 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 that allows presidents and governors to serve a maximum of two four-year terms.

 

However, the Senate leader argued that the existing arrangement often forces elected officials to begin planning for re-election midway into their first term, thereby distracting them 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 term would eliminate the pressure associated with seeking a second mandate.

 

“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 stated.

 

The lawmaker acknowledged that the proposal may not enjoy universal support but maintained that legislative reforms are necessary to improve governance and strengthen democratic institutions.

 

“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 argued that laws should evolve to reflect changing realities and national needs.

 

“The essence of law, the essence of parliament, is that laws are like human beings; they grow,” he added.

 

The proposal is expected to revive longstanding constitutional debates over the tenure of elected executives in Nigeria.