A Nigerian senator, Kenneth Eze (APC-Ebonyi), has proposed a constitutional amendment that would introduce a single sixteen-year tenure for the president, replacing the current two-term, four-year system. He said this on Monday while addressing journalists at his Ohigbo-Amagu country home in Ezza South LGA.
According to the report, the lawmaker is seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution to allow presidents to serve only one term of six years, with no possibility of re-election. The proposal would also apply to state governors, effectively ending the two-term structure that has been in place since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.
Under Nigeria’s current system, a president can serve a maximum of two four-year terms, totaling eight years. Supporters of the new proposal argue that a single tenure would reduce the pressure of re-election politics, cut down campaign spending by incumbents, and allow leaders to focus more on governance instead of political survival.
The idea of a single tenure is not new in Nigeria. Similar proposals have surfaced in past constitutional review processes but have never scaled through. Critics often argue that removing the possibility of re-election could weaken accountability, since leaders would not face voters again after their first term.
The latest move is expected to generate debate within the National Assembly and beyond, especially as discussions around electoral reforms and constitutional amendments continue ahead of the 2027 general elections.
For the proposal to become law, it would require approval by two-thirds of both chambers of the National Assembly and ratification by at least two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 state Houses of Assembly.
