Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has called for a constitutional amendment to establish a single term of five or six years for elected public office holders at all levels of government in Nigeria, in place of the current two-term structure of four years each.
Governor Makinde made the call on Friday while hosting a delegation of Muslim faithful, traditional rulers, and political leaders at his private residence in Ikolaba, Ibadan, shortly after the Eid-el-Kabir prayers.
The delegation was led by the state Deputy Governor, Bayo Lawal. Among those present were the Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja; former Deputy Governor and PDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Taofeek Arapaja; former deputy governors Hazeem Gbolarumi and Hamid Gbadamosi; member representing Ibadan North-East/South-East Federal Constituency, Abass Adigun (Agboworin); and the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta States, Dawodu Makanjuola.
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Speaking at the gathering, Makinde argued that a single term would provide sufficient time for elected officials to focus on governance and fulfil their mandates without the distractions associated with seeking re-election.
He said, “First, let me use this opportunity to say Barka de Sallah to our Muslim faithful and we shall have the opportunity to celebrate many more by the grace of God.”
Reflecting on his own time in office, the governor said, “I was just looking at the trajectory for me in government. I have spent six years already and due to no fault of anybody, we lost the year 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“We lost almost one year campaigning all over the place for the second tenure. Now, people have started distracting us on what I want to do next and all of that. So, I feel that, effectively, the time we can say we are very serious with governance is just about five out of the eight years.”
He continued, “That is why I feel if you remove all these distractions, a single tenure of five or six years is actually enough to focus and do the work that we are trying to do in eight years.”
“We shouldn’t be afraid to say the fact based on data that is available to us. It has nothing to do with me. If they say I should end it, so be it.”
“So, I am just calling the attention of our people to this because it is a constitutional issue. We should start looking at it. I know that it has been brought to the attention of the National Assembly, but quite frankly, it is a model that should work for this country.”
Speaking on behalf of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, the Otun Olubadan, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, urged the people to continue supporting the Makinde administration and prayed for its continued success and progress.
