Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has disclosed plans to sponsor a bill seeking a single six-year term for Nigeria’s president and state governors, arguing that the change would allow elected officials to focus on governance rather than re-election campaigns.
Bamidele made the proposal during an interview with journalists on Tuesday, saying it would be among the first bills he intends to introduce in the 11th Senate after the 2027 general elections.
Nigeria currently operates a two-term system under which presidents and governors can serve a maximum of two four-year terms.
According to Bamidele, the existing arrangement often forces officeholders to begin planning for re-election shortly after assuming office, distracting them from delivering on their mandates.
“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 a bill that will 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 six-year tenure would eliminate the political pressures associated with seeking a second term and encourage leaders to focus entirely on governance from the start of their administration.
“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.
The senator acknowledged that the proposal could generate debate and may not attract universal support but maintained that lawmakers have a responsibility to pursue reforms aimed at strengthening governance.
“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.
Bamidele added that laws must evolve to reflect changing realities and national priorities.
“The essence of law, the essence of parliament, is that laws are like human beings; they grow,” he said.
The proposal is expected to revive a longstanding constitutional debate over executive tenure in Nigeria.
Since the return to democratic rule in 1999, advocates of a single tenure system have argued that it would reduce the distractions of electioneering and allow for more consistent implementation of government policies.
Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has previously advocated a similar constitutional amendment, proposing a single six-year term for presidents and governors alongside a rotational presidency among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Supporters of the idea say it could improve governance and reduce political tensions associated with re-election campaigns.
Critics, however, argue that the current two-term arrangement allows voters to either reward effective leaders with a second mandate or remove underperforming officials through the electoral process.
Any amendment to executive tenure would require significant changes to Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution. If approved by the National Assembly, the proposal would also need the support of at least two-thirds of the country’s 36 state Houses of Assembly before it could become law.
