By: Manoah Kikekon
 |
| President Bola Ahmed Tinubu |
EBONYI, NIGERIA — In a move that has sent ripples through the Nigerian political landscape, Senator Kenneth Eze (APC-Ebonyi) is calling for a radical overhaul of the nation’s leadership structure. The lawmaker is advocating for a single 16-year presidential tenure, arguing that the current four-year cycle is the primary "stumbling block" to national development.
Addressing journalists on Monday at his country home in Ezza South, Eze who serves as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation critiqued the "campaign mode" that consumes Nigerian governance.
Under the current 1999 Constitution, presidents serve a four-year term with the option of a single renewal. However, Eze contends this system breeds instability.
“Every four years, we return to campaign mode. By the third year, governance slows as attention shifts to re-election,” Eze stated. “That is why projects are abandoned and policies are not allowed to mature.”
The Senator’s proposal aims to insulate the Presidency from the "distractions" of seeking a second term. By extending the mandate to 16 years, Eze believes the government can finally tackle long-term projects that currently fail due to political turnover.
Key sectors cited by the lawmaker include: Energy & Power: Reforms that require a decade or more to stabilize. Agriculture: Long-term irrigation and mechanization schemes. Infrastructure: Preventing the "abandoned project" syndrome. Fiscal Reform: Allowing tough economic transitions, like the fuel subsidy removal, to bear fruit.
Defending the current administration's economic shifts, Eze noted that Nigeria was previously "borrowing to pay salaries" a path he described as unsustainable. He framed the 16-year proposal not as an assault on democracy, but as a governance conversation designed to ensure that "tough decisions" lead to long-term stability rather than electoral suicide.
Eze acknowledged that such a monumental shift would be an uphill battle. Any change to the presidential tenure requires:
1. National Assembly Approval: Significant majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives.
2. State Ratification: Approval by at least two-thirds of Nigeria’s State Houses of Assembly.
3. National Dialogue: A transparent process to ensure checks and balances remain intact.
While the proposal is bound to face scrutiny from those wary of long-term power consolidation, Eze insists that without a "national dialogue" on how the system functions, Nigeria will remain trapped in a cycle of short-term thinking.
(NAN)