Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has revealed plans to champion a constitutional amendment that would introduce a single six-year term for Nigeria’s president and state governors.
Speaking with journalists in his office on Tuesday, Bamidele said the proposed legislation would be among the first bills he intends to sponsor if he returns to the Senate after the 2027 general elections.
Nigeria’s current constitutional framework allows presidents and governors to serve a maximum of two four-year terms.
However, the Senate leader argued that the existing arrangement often shifts the attention of elected officials away from governance as they begin preparing for re-election campaigns during their first term.
“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 Bamidele, a single tenure would enable leaders to dedicate their entire time in office to implementing policies and delivering results without the distractions associated with seeking a second term.
“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 added.
While acknowledging that the proposal may attract differing opinions, the lawmaker maintained that legislative reforms are necessary to improve the country’s democratic system.
“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 stated.
Bamidele further argued that laws must evolve in response to changing circumstances and national needs.
“The essence of law, the essence of parliament, is that laws are like human beings; they grow,” he said.
The proposal is expected to reopen discussions around executive tenure in Nigeria, a subject that has generated debate at various points since the country’s return to democratic rule in 1999.
Advocates of a single term system believe it could reduce the influence of re-election politics on governance and encourage leaders to focus on long-term development goals. Critics, however, argue that allowing elected officials to seek a second term gives citizens the opportunity to either reward good performance or remove underperforming leaders through the ballot box.
The idea has also received support from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who previously proposed a six-year single term for presidents and governors alongside a constitutional rotation of the presidency among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Should the proposal eventually be introduced and approved by lawmakers, it would require significant amendments to the 1999 Constitution and must also secure the endorsement of at least two-thirds of the country’s state Houses of Assembly before becoming law.