Single Term tenure: Jonathan lntensifies Moves To Lobby

[emezico]

Contrary to speculations that the Presidency has dropped its plan to forward a bill to the National Assembly to push for a single tenure of six years for the president and governors, it is actually intensifying work on the planned bill.

Punch investigations showed that President Goodluck Jonathan and his key supporters were working assiduously to convince federal lawmakers and the governors to embrace the single tenure idea.

It was learnt that the President was not alone in the ongoing plan to amend the constitution that would allow the tenure of the president and governors to be altered from 2015 to a single term, as against the current two terms of four years.

Jonathan is believed to have recruited several lawmakers and some of the state governors who share his views to his side.

A source, on the condition of anonymity, stated that the President was keen on pursuing the single tenure project because he was convinced that a single term for this category of public office holders would serve the interest of Nigeria. The source argued that it was the shared view in government circle that the opposition to the proposed single tenure issue was inspired by an unfounded mistrust.

According to a source close to the President, Jonathan has some loyalists, who are also mobilising to get the support of people in strategic places to embrace the President's idea.