Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has said he plans to sponsor a bill proposing a single six-year tenure for presidents and state governors in Nigeria, arguing that it would reduce the distraction of re-election politics and allow leaders to focus more on governance.
The Punch reported that Bamidele made the disclosure on Tuesday during an interview with journalists in his office, adding that the proposal would be among his priority bills when the next Senate convenes after the 2027 general elections.
Under the current constitutional arrangement, Nigeria operates a two-term system that permits presidents and governors to serve a maximum of two four-year terms.
However, the Senate Leader maintained that the system often pushes officeholders into early political calculations for re-election, sometimes at the expense of 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.
He argued that a single tenure would eliminate the pressure of re-election campaigns and encourage full concentration on performance.
“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.
Acknowledging that the idea may be controversial, he said disagreement was expected but insisted that constitutional reform remains a necessary part of democratic development.
“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.
He further stressed that laws must adapt to societal changes, describing legislation as an evolving instrument.
“The essence of law, the essence of parliament, is that laws are like human beings; they grow,” he added.
The proposal is expected to reopen debate on executive tenure limits in Nigeria, an issue that has surfaced repeatedly since the return to civilian rule in 1999.
Over the years, similar suggestions for a single-term presidency have been made by various political actors, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who has previously backed a six-year single term alongside rotational presidency across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
Supporters argue that the reform would strengthen governance and reduce electoral distractions, while critics maintain that the current two-term structure allows voters to either reward or reject leaders based on performance.
If eventually introduced and passed by the National Assembly, the bill would require constitutional amendment and approval by at least two-thirds of state Houses of Assembly before becoming law.
