By Adesakin Adefemi
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has disclosed plans to sponsor a bill seeking a single six-year tenure for Nigeria’s president and state governors, starting after the 2027 general elections.
Speaking with reporters in his office on Tuesday, Bamidele said the legislation would be among the first bills he intends to introduce when the 11th Senate is inaugurated. He argued that the current two-term system compels officeholders to devote significant time in their first term to re-election calculations.
“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,” Bamidele stated.
He said a single tenure would remove distractions associated with seeking a second term and allow leaders to focus 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,” he said. “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 acknowledged that the proposal may not enjoy universal support but said lawmakers have a responsibility to initiate reforms they believe would strengthen 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. “The essence of law, the essence of parliament, is that laws are like human beings; they grow.”
He added that legislation must evolve to reflect changing realities and public needs, and that the single-term proposal is meant to shift focus from political survival to service delivery.
If formally introduced and passed by the National Assembly, the bill would require constitutional amendments before it can take effect.
