Kenneth Eze (APC-Ebonyi) has called for a nationwide debate on replacing Nigeria’s current two-term, four-year presidential cycle with a single 16-year tenure.
Mr Eze, chairman of the Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation, said this on Monday while addressing journalists at his Ohigbo-Amagu country home in Ezza South LGA.
He noted that frequent election cycles undermined policy continuity and stalled national development.
“Every four years, we return to campaign mode. By the third year, governance slows as attention shifts to re-election; that is why projects are abandoned, and policies are not allowed to mature.
“Nigeria’s constitution provides for a four-year presidential term, renewable once, but if you ask me, I will advocate one tenure of 16 years. It sounds controversial, but it will allow policies to run their full course and stabilise the system,” Mr Eze explained.
Mr Eze therefore proposed scrapping the two-term structure in favour of a single, extended tenure that would free leaders from electoral pressures and enable them to pursue long-term reforms.
The lawmaker noted that critical sectors such as power, infrastructure, agriculture and fiscal reform required sustained commitment beyond short political cycles.
