The controversy surrounding the proposal for six-year single term for president and governors seem to have been laid to rest permanently on Tuesday as the Senate rejected it.
The upper chamber of the National Assembly, while voting on recommendations for further alteration of the 1999 Constitution overwhelmingly voted against the proposal with a vote of 86 to 14 and one abstinence.
The decision of the Senate to reject the proposal ensure was part of the decisions taken by the National Assembly in a historical fourth attempt to amend some sections of the 1999 Constitution. To many Nigerians the action of the Senate has finally nailed the coffin of the bill.
Since President Goodluck Jonathan made his intention to send a bill proposing a single term of six years for president and governors to the National Assembly in 2011, there has been a lot of controversy on the matter. While some frown at the move and consider it as a deviation from the practice whereby the president and governors spend two terms of four years each as enshrined in the 1999 constitution, others see it as a positive one designed to strengthen Nigerian's democracy and electoral process.
Those in support of the president's bid are of the view that the decision was taken based on the conviction that political violence in the past was always caused by the resolve of incumbent governors and president to run for a second term in office. Stating the need for the six-year single term then, the presidency through his spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, said that: "President Jonathan is concerned about the acrimony which the issue of re-election, every four years, generates, both at the federal and state levels.
The proposal is borne out of a patriotic zeal, after a painstaking study and belief that the constitutionally guaranteed two terms for presidents and governors is not helping the focus of governance and the institutionalisation of democracy at this stage of our development." The argument put forward by supporters of the president's proposal does not hold water in anyway.
Rather, it was considered as a bid by him to extend his tenure beyond 2015. Besides, he is even suspected to be the possible beneficiary of the proposal if allowed to pass.
With the criticisms that trailed the proposal, and based on some of the recommendations submitted by individuals and groups during the various public hearings on the proposed constitution amendment organised by the National Assembly, many had thought that the proposal would not be one of the clauses to be considered at all.
Surprisingly, however, the proposal was contained in the final report of the Senate ad-hoc committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution's brought before the Senate by the committee's chairman and Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu. Section 135 (2), Clause 11, which is related to the single term states that: "Subject to the provision of subsection 1 of this section, the president shall vacate his office at the expiration of a period of six years, commencing from the date when he took the oath of allegiance and the oath of office."
Prior to Tuesday decision of the Red Chamber on the six-year single term proposal, there have been debates and discussions in different fora on the sustainability of the bill. Many elder statesmen, politicians, ethnic nationalities, groups and individuals have been divided on the issue.
Supporters of the bill reason that the six-year single term will give room for rotation of the presidency and the governors among major ethnic and geopolitical zones, and that it would make access to power very easy without waiting endlessly for a period of eight years to have a taste of the presidency or governorship.
Another argument made indicates that with the proposal, there will be reduction in the resources used to conduct general elections in the country since elections will be taking place every six years and not four years as it is presently done. Some also believe that with the single term the president and governors will concentrate in office since they will not be thinking about election.
The leader of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Okpolump Etteh, in a recent interview with National Mirror , for instance, said the six-year single term proposal for prsesident and governors will accelerate development.
His words: "The amount spent most times by politicians seeking second term is staggering. In some states, the cost of seeking re-election is as much as the state budget. One major way of deepening democracy is to allow president and governors a single term of six years.
"This enables a president or governor to bear in mind from the day he is sworn in, that he has six years to execute his programmes, because there will be no re-election. He is expected to concentrate and perform.
This will enable him to work on those things he had highlighted in his manifestoes. Outside the fact that re-election has to do with heavy expenditure, it will stop blackmail and unnecessary propaganda as people jostling to outwit you after your first term will say or do nothing to get you out of the way. I totally subscribe to single term for president and governors."
On the other hand, the reasons those against the six-year single term are kicking, according to them, include the view that the president and governors may eventually become "demi-gods" since they will not be thinking about being checked by the people with their voting power when they seek re-election as has been the case in the two terms of four years each.
They also consider the length of time. In their view, if a period of eight years, broken into two, has left governors and presidents with unfinished projects at the end of their tenure, it is unlikely that a single term of six years may just be too short to accomplish the required goals.
As far as some of them are concerned, the proposal is a sure recipe for failure and bad governance. In his presentation, for example, Senator Clever Ikisikpo (Bayelsa East), said the single term proposal is undemocratic.
His words: "I do not agree with it because it does not look like a democratic system of government; it is undemocratic. If we allow a government to stay for a single term, anybody in power will want to behave as he likes because he will say it is my turn and since I am not coming back, let me do what I want."
Senator Isah Galaudu (Kebbi North), believes that the proposal will encourage corruption, adding that it will not give the motivation and punishment for good behaviour. "There will be more polarisation, more tension in elections for a single term because opposition will want to do everything possible to capture power from the ruling government," Galaudu said.
Senator Victor Lar (Plateau North), who noted that his opinion on the matter was the reflection of his constituents' views, described the proposal as an institutionalisation of corruption, since it will also enthrone dictatorship and impunity on the elected officials.
With overwhelming reasons why the president's proposal should not be approved, the issue was laid to rest with the Senate throwing it away, so to say, through the window. Speaking to Saturday Mirror, a human rights activist and three-time governorship candidate of the National Conscience Party in Ogun State, Ogbeni Lanre Banjo, commended the Senate for voting against the six-year single term bill.
His words: "The rejection of the sixyear single term is the best thing and I commend the Senate for rejecting it. Where democracy works there is always a system where the citizens have the right to vote against any government they are not satisfied with.
The present two terms gives people the opportunity to prevent somebody from going for second term if public office holders do not perform to satisfaction.
"But with six-year single term it will be difficult for the citizens to correct the president and governors since they will not be seeking for any re-election. With a single term, people in office will do whatever they like in office and there would be a lot of corruption because many of them will steal from the treasury since they know they can only serve for one term."
National Mirror
Sometimes having one person ruling a country for a very long number of years can be very boring....Change has to take place.