Makinde backs single Six-Year Tenure for elected officials

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has thrown his weight behind the call for a single tenure of six years for elected political office holders at all levels in Nigeria, describing it as a practical solution to governance distractions and election-related pressures.

Makinde made the remark on Friday at his Ikolaba residence in Ibadan while receiving a delegation of Muslim faithful, traditional rulers, clerics, and political office holders who visited him after Eid-el-Kabir prayers at the Agodi Eid Ground. The governor argued that a five or six-year single term would allow public office holders to focus on delivering quality governance without the distraction of re-election campaigns.

Reflecting on his own experience, Makinde noted that a significant portion of his time in office was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and campaign activities for a second term. “Effectively, the time we can say we are very serious with governance is just about five out of the eight years. That is why I feel 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,” he said.

The governor acknowledged that the proposal required a constitutional amendment but insisted it was a conversation Nigeria must have. “We should not be afraid to say the fact based on data available to us. It has nothing to do with me… It is a model that should work for this country,” Makinde added.

The delegation was led by Oyo Deputy Governor Abdulraheem Lawal and included prominent figures such as the Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Senator Rashidi Ladoja; PDP Deputy National Chairman Taofeek Arapaja; former deputy governors Hazeem Gbolarumi and Hamid Gbadamosi; and the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo, and Delta States, Alhaji Dawodu Makanjuola, among others.

While delivering the message of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Senator Ladoja urged for sustained support for Makinde’s administration and offered prayers for its continued success. Deputy Governor Lawal, speaking to newsmen, advised the Muslim Ummah to uphold values of sacrifice, obedience, and compassion as taught by the Holy Quran.

The conversation on a six-year single term for elected leaders has resurfaced in recent years. In October 2024, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar made a similar proposal for a single six-year rotational presidency in a letter to the Senate’s Constitution Review Committee. The House of Representatives, however, rejected a related bill in November 2024, marking the second time such a proposal was voted down, following an earlier attempt in 2019.

Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has also publicly supported the idea, stressing that a single term would enable leaders to focus on governance rather than election politics.

As calls for constitutional reform persist, it remains to be seen whether Nigeria’s National Assembly will reconsider the proposal in future constitutional amendment debates.