Nigeria’s Majority Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has said he plans to introduce a bill seeking a single six-year tenure for presidents and state governors, arguing that the current system distracts elected leaders from governance.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Monday, Bamidele said the proposal would be among the first bills he hopes to sponsor in the 11th Senate following the 2027 general elections.
Nigeria currently operates a system that allows presidents and governors to serve a maximum of two four-year terms.
According to Bamidele, the existing arrangement often forces elected officials to focus on securing a second term shortly after taking office.
“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 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.
He argued that a single tenure would enable leaders to devote their full attention to governance rather than political campaigns.
“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.
Bamidele acknowledged that the proposal may not receive unanimous support but said lawmakers have a responsibility to pursue reforms they believe could improve governance.
“That’s my opinion. It doesn’t mean everybody will agree with me,” he said.
“But it also does not mean that I am prevented from doing that because that has not been the law.”
The proposal is expected to reignite debate over executive tenure in Nigeria, an issue that has repeatedly surfaced since the country’s return to democratic rule in 1999.
Supporters of a single term argue that it would reduce the distractions associated with re-election campaigns and encourage leaders to focus on long-term development plans.
Critics, however, contend that the current two-term system gives voters the opportunity to either reward successful leaders with a second term or remove underperforming ones through the ballot box.
Similar proposals have failed in the past. In 2024, the House of Representatives rejected a constitutional amendment bill seeking a single six-year presidential term, while another proposal met a similar fate in 2019.
