Atiku’s single term presidency proposal sparks debate

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Nigerians are debating former vice president Atiku Abubakar’s proposal for a single, six-year tenure as president.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate for 2023, Atiku, had advocated for a single, six-year term as president of Nigeria.

He suggested amending Section 135(2) to say the following: “Subject to the provisions of the subsection (1), the President shall vacate his office at the expiration of a period of six years commencing from the date of swearing-in.”

Atiku responded to the National Assembly’s request for suggestions in its ongoing effort to review the 1999 Constitution as amended by stating that the president’s position should alternate between the Federation’s six geographical zones.

The Senate Committee on Constitution Review Chairman and Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, received Atiku’s proposal.

Arewa youths: Six years, one term as president is a remedy for distraction.

Yerima Shettima, National President of the Arewa Youths Consultative Forum (AYCF), endorsed Atiku’s appeal and stated that the plan will remove distractions for political office holders who consistently consider running for reelection after their first year in office.

Shettima stated in an interview with ZINGTIE: “I will agree with the single term rotational presidency because with the way politicians are becoming desperate by the day, I think it would reduce anxiety, desperation, and tension.

“Once somebody’s term is short, he would definitely clear up for another person rather than this issue of distraction where they believe in coming back for a second term.

“If you notice, their mandate is for four years but the moment they get the first year, rather than remain focused to provide governance in the second year, they start positioning themselves for a second term.

“So, they only have one year out of the four to work and that’s why we often have the challenges of the government coming out without instituting any concrete infrastructure or any meaningful impact as regards governance or the mandate.

“So, I think it’s a sign of distraction; if we can amend the constitution to reduce the whole governance to six years and one term for anyone in the executive office.

“It will go a long way and we can feel the first four years; even if he wants to bring in somebody, he will concentrate for the first four years and he can use the remaining two years to seek support for whoever he wants to succeed him.”

Shettima, though, voiced concern that Atiku’s proposal might not pass the National Assembly.

He clarified that the current National Assembly members’ primary motivation would be to carry out the Executive’s directives with regard to the proposal.

Shettima added: “The National Assembly that I see today, they will do what’s in the interest of the executive and if the executive is not interested after consultation, they will do otherwise.

“The National Assembly I see today can’t do anything other than being Rubber-stamp, in fact they are Rubber-stamp.

“Once the executive wants it that way, it will work but if they don’t want it, you don’t need to ask the NASS because the NASS leadership I see today can’t do otherwise.”

Atiku’s proposal worth considering – Afenifere

Comrade Jare Ajayi, the National Publicity Secretary of the pan-Yoruba organization Afenifere, stated that Atiku’s suggestion deserves consideration.

Ajayi told ZINGTIE: “There are four main issues in the propositions put forward by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

“The first is to have a single term of six years for the President and Governors. The second is for these Executive Offices to rotate between the geo-political zones.

“The third issue is on the academic qualification for the President while the fourth point is the need to empower political parties to have more leverage on candidates.

“In my view, none of the issues should be dismissed with a wave of hand”.

In his submission, he acknowledged that the democratic process includes the chance for a second term, but that “our experience in Nigeria in this respect has not been very pleasing, – generally speaking, especially at the state level.”

Regarding the second issue, Ajayi said that having the country’s major elected offices alternate between the geopolitical zones is perfectly acceptable.

“It engenders a sense of belonging and encourages more participation,” he said.

Additionally, he supported Atiku’s position that political parties ought to have greater authority over their members’ desire to run for office under their own platforms.

He added: “It could be observed that part of the misdemeanour among politicians in Nigeria would have been prevented or minimised were there to be party discipline as was the case in the First and Second Republics.

“So, giving political parties more power in this respect should be beneficial to our body politics”.

Second tenure Nigeria’s biggest problem – APC chieftain, Nabena backs Atiku

Yekini Nabena, a former All Progressives Congress (APC) deputy national publicity secretary, supported Atiku.

Nabena said: “One single term is good because our biggest problem in this country is second tenure.

“From your first tenure, anything you are doing is because you want to come back for your second tenure and once you come back nothing is done.

“You now tell people that you are trying to recover the money spent for your first tenure as if the money is your personal money.

“Some of these people that have been in government, especially the governors, have never worked before, then they would tell you that somebody in government said ‘I made you this, I did this for you,’ is it your personal money?”

Nabena said that the current assembly will only permit Atiku’s proposal to proceed through constitutional modification if it is approved by the Executive, characterizing the current National Assembly as contractors.

He added: “A NASS that runs four budgets at the same time and a country that has several currencies running at the same time, that tells you that any law can pass, so far as their interest is there.

“Now is worse because by next year we should be talking about elections where they will be going for primaries, so anything that calls for money goes because they need to spend money for election.

“As far as I’m concerned, these NASS members are all contractors, if the proposal is in the interest of the Executive it would go through.”

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