Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has unveiled plans to sponsor a constitutional amendment bill seeking to replace Nigeria’s current two-term system with a single six-year tenure for presidents and state governors.
Bamidele said the proposed legislation is designed to strengthen governance, eliminate the distractions associated with re-election campaigns, and enable elected leaders to focus fully on delivering their mandates.
Speaking on his legislative priorities ahead of the next phase of Senate activities, the lawmaker disclosed that the constitutional amendment would be among the first bills he intends to introduce when lawmakers reconvene.
According to him, the proposal would allow any individual elected President or Governor to serve only one term of six years.
“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, is for a bill that will only make it possible for anyone who wants to be President of this country, or Governor in any state of this country, to spend only one tenure of six years,” Bamidele said.
The Senate Leader argued that Nigeria’s current constitutional arrangement often compels elected officials to devote a significant part of their first term to political calculations and campaigns aimed at securing a second mandate.
He maintained that a single six-year tenure would allow leaders to concentrate entirely on governance from the outset.
“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,” he stated.
Bamidele, however, acknowledged that the proposal represents his personal position and may generate differing opinions among Nigerians and fellow lawmakers.
“That’s my opinion; it doesn’t mean everybody will agree with me,” he added.
Defending the move, the Senate Leader said constitutional and legal reforms remain a core responsibility of the legislature, stressing that laws must evolve to reflect changing realities and societal needs.
“The essence of law, the essence of parliament, is because laws are like human beings, they grow,” he said.
If eventually passed by the National Assembly and ratified through the constitutional amendment process, the bill would fundamentally alter Nigeria’s political landscape by ending the current provision that permits presidents and governors to serve a maximum of two four-year terms.
The proposal is expected to spark national debate among political stakeholders, constitutional experts and civil society groups over its potential implications for governance, accountability and democratic development in Nigeria.
