The Action Democratic Party (ADP) has supported the decision of the House of Representatives to reject the six-year single term for governors and president, saying that the proposal may lead to poor performance and bad governance by elected public office holders.
Last week, the House of Representatives rejected an amendment to the 1999 Constitution seeking a single term of six-years for the president and governors.
The lawmakers, who spoke during the debate on the bill, expressed their opposition to the amendment.
Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase, who presided over the plenary, had put to voice vote the passage of the bill for second reading, the lawmakers overwhelmingly voted against it. He immediately ruled that the bill be stepped down.
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But reacting in an interview with BusinessDay on the proposal, the national chairman of the ADP, Sanni Yabagi disagreed that the proposal was the solution to the electoral crisis which had plagued the country in recent time, stressing it may even worsen desperation among politicians.
Yabagi said that with the current two terms of four years each politician had the fear that their non-performance could affect their electoral success for second term, stressing that the proposal may not bring stability to the electoral process.
According to him, “If you have single term of six-years, it would help make things worse. When the incumbent want to finish his six-year tenure they can become desperate in ensuring they do everything to put their candidate or their party’s candidate to win the election at all cost.
“I don’t think it brings stability to the party; with the current system the person knows that he as one term after finishing one term, there is hardly anybody that contests the primary with him; so, it gives stability in the party.
“With this they can pursue the programme for the electorate. But if every election you have to do primary it introduce instability itself to the party,” Yabagi said.
Recall that former president, Goodluck Jonathan had in 2014 proposed a six-year single for president and governors, saying it would ensure good governance.
