Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has disclosed plans to sponsor a bill seeking to introduce a single six-year tenure for presidents and state governors after the 2027 general elections.
Bamidele said the proposed legislation would be among his priority bills in the next National Assembly, arguing that a single tenure would allow elected leaders to focus fully on governance rather than re-election campaigns.
He spoke in an interview with journalists in his office on Tuesday, noting that the current two-term arrangement often compels officeholders to dedicate a significant portion of their first term to political calculations ahead of re-election.
“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 a bill that will make it possible for anyone who wants to be president of this country, or governor in any part of the country, to serve only one term of six years,” he said.
According to him, a single tenure would eliminate distractions associated with seeking a second term and improve governance outcomes.
“So that you don’t have to spend almost one and a half years of your first term thinking and struggling about how you will be re-elected,” Bamidele 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.”
The Senate Leader acknowledged that the proposal may not enjoy universal support, but maintained that lawmakers have a responsibility to propose 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.
Bamidele added that laws must evolve in response to changing societal needs.
“The essence of law, the essence of parliament, is that laws are like human beings; they grow,” he said.
If eventually introduced and passed by the National Assembly, the proposal would require constitutional amendment before it can take effect.
