Senator Kenneth Eze (APC–Ebonyi), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation, has called for a nationwide debate on replacing Nigeria’s current two-term, four-year presidential structure with a single 16-year tenure.
Speaking on Monday at his country home in Ohigbo-Amagu, Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, the lawmaker argued that frequent election cycles disrupt governance and hinder long-term national development.
“Every four years, we return to campaign mode. By the third year, governance slows as attention shifts to re-election; that is why projects are abandoned, and policies are not allowed to mature,” he said.
Eze maintained that a single extended tenure would allow presidents to focus on governance without the distraction of re-election campaigns, thereby ensuring policy continuity and the completion of major infrastructure and reform programmes.
He urged Nigerians to engage in open discussions on the proposal, stressing that constitutional amendments require broad national consensus.
Nigeria currently operates a two-term limit of four years each for presidents under the 1999 Constitution. Any move to alter the tenure structure would require significant legislative action and approval from both the National Assembly and state assemblies.
