Makinde Calls for Single Five- or Six-Year Term for Elected Officials to End Governance Distractions

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has called for a constitutional amendment to establish a single five- or six-year tenure for elected public officials in Nigeria, arguing that the current two-term system hinders effective governance.

Speaking at his residence in Ibadan while receiving a delegation of Muslim faithful led by Deputy Governor Bayo Lawal after Eid-el-Kabir prayers, Makinde said his experience over the past six years has shown that the pressure of re-election campaigns often distracts leaders from focusing on governance.

“I have spent six years already, and due to no fault of anybody, we lost the year 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “We lost almost one year campaigning all over the place for the second tenure. Now, people have started distracting us on what I want to do next and all of that.”

According to the governor, political distractions typically reduce the actual period of focused governance to about five years out of the constitutionally allowed eight. He believes a single, uninterrupted term would enable leaders to concentrate fully on their mandates.

“That is why I feel if you remove all these distractions, a single tenure of five or six years is actually enough to focus and do the work that we are trying to do in eight years,” Makinde said. “It has nothing to do with me. If they say I should end it, so be it.”

Makinde emphasized that his proposal is based on practical experience and data, and urged Nigerians to begin a serious conversation on the matter.

“This is a constitutional issue. We should start looking at it. I know that it has been brought to the attention of the National Assembly, but, quite frankly, it is a model that should work for this country,” he said.

Under the 1999 Constitution (as amended), presidents and governors are allowed to serve a maximum of two four-year terms.

Makinde’s suggestion echoes similar remarks made by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in October 2024, when he advocated a single six-year term for the presidency, with rotational leadership across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones. However, in November 2024, the House of Representatives rejected a bill proposing a single six-year presidential term.