Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State recently raised a fresh round of controversy when he advocated for a single term of five or six years for president, state governors, and local government chairmen.
Makinde, while advocating for a single tenure of five years, said elected officials are only serious with governance during the first five years out of the eight years.
He said: “I was just looking at the trajectory for me in government. I have spent six years already and due to no fault of anybody, we lost the year 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We lost almost one year, campaigning all over the place for the second tenure. Now, people have started distracting us on what I want to do next and all of that.
“So, I feel that, effectively, the time we can say we are very serious with governance is just about five out of the eight years.
“That is why I feel if you remove all these distractions, a single tenure of five or six years is actually enough to focus and do the work that we are trying to do in eight years.
“We should start looking at it. I know that it has been brought to the attention of the national assembly but, quite frankly, it is a model that should work for this country.”
In November 2024, the House of Representatives rejected a bill seeking to amend the 1999 constitution to provide for a single term of six years for the offices of the president, state governors and local government chairmen.
The then proposed legislation was intended to ensure inclusive governance and to curb wastages occasioned by the four-year periodic elections.
The bill specifically seeks to alter Sections 76, 116, 132, 136, and some others of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
However, the House of Representatives voted against the bill which was sponsored by Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere and 33 other lawmakers.
