Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has disclosed plans to sponsor a bill seeking to introduce a single six-year tenure for presidents and governors, a move he said would allow elected leaders to focus more on governance and less on re-election politics.
Bamidele revealed the proposal during an interview with journalists in his office on Tuesday, saying the legislation 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 under which presidents and governors can serve a maximum of two four-year terms.
However, the Senate leader argued that the arrangement often compels elected officials to begin strategising for a second term barely midway into their first tenure, thereby diverting attention 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 tenure would remove the pressure and distractions associated with seeking re-election.
“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 said.
The lawmaker acknowledged that the proposal may generate debate and may not attract unanimous support, but insisted that lawmakers must continue to pursue reforms aimed at improving governance.
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