Recently, a coalition of some dozen members of the House of Representatives, under the umbrella of ‘Reform Minded Lawmakers,’ informed the country that they were sponsoring a constitutional amendment bill for a single six-year term for the president and governors. This, they argued, would help in curbing government’s spending, enhancing governance efficiency and promoting national stability.
Indeed, the spokesman for the coalition, Rep Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, told a news conference in Abuja that constitutional and electoral reforms had been long-standing issues in Nigeria since independence, fueling unrest and deepening religious and ethnic divisions within the nation and it was necessary to address the twin issues once and for all.
Ugochinyere further said, “As a first step in our commitment, we are presenting a series of bills and proposals to the public, which are currently under consideration on the floor of the 10th Assembly. These bills, numbering 50 in total, have already undergone the first reading. Today, we are unveiling approximately six of them to the public, with the remainder to follow in the coming weeks.”
The lawmaker also spoke about the proposal for the creation of the office of two vice presidents, representing the southern and northern regions of Nigeria, wherein the first vice president will come from the same part of the country as the president so as to serve as a successor in the event of incapacitation or death, while the second would oversee the economy, and both would hold ministerial positions.
As to be expected, this announcement has elicited diverse reactions from various segments of Nigeria. This is so because issues of leadership have always been received differently, based on the different realities that make up Nigeria.
While we fully support the sharing and exchange of ideas in our quest to get it right as a country, it is also necessary to remind the lawmakers that the system we currently operate, which allows public office holders to run for a maximum of two four-year renewable terms, no matter its shortcomings, can be made to work for us.
