The last is yet to be heard about the six year single tenure proposed by the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution for the offices of the president, vice president, state governors and their deputies; and vowed to mobilize against the proposal.
Major opposition political parties in the country have kicked against the proposal describing it as ?unreasonable?
The Senate Committee chaired by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, recommended a six year non-renewable tenure for the four executive offices though its take off date was not stated in the report.
The report of the committee, which also recommended financial autonomy for 774 local government areas in the country, has not been debated.
The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, said it is totally opposed to the proposal and has asked its members in the National Assembly to vote against it when the report of the committee is tabled for consideration.
The National Publicity Secretary of ACN, Lai Mohammed said the party wants the National Assembly to retain the four year tenure, adding that it has communicated its decision to its members in the federal legislature.
?ACN says four years, two terms is more than adequate, that is the decision of ACN,? Mr. Mohammed told said. ?The party has made this known to our members in the National Assembly.?
The Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, also said the proposal is totally unreasonable, adding it vitiates the sovereignty of the people.
?We?ve said that this is totally unreasonable,? the party?s National Publicity Secretary, Rotimi Fashakin said.
Quoting the parts of the constitution which points out the duties of the government as security and welfare and emphasises the participation of the people, Mr. Fashakin said, ?So, any particular law or proposal or bill that seeks to vitiate that sovereignty of the people is anti-people and should be jettisoned wholesale.?
The CPC spokesman noted that a nation like Nigeria which had a problem with military dictatorship should make laws that should make the leaders to be more submissive to the dictates of the people.
The National Chairman of a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Maxi Okwu, said it is absolutely unnecessary to discard the four year renewable tenure because of its few shortcomings, saying, ?Let?s not throw away the baby with the bath water.?
Likening the proposed six year single tenure to dictatorship, Mr. Okwu said that in more developed democracies, mid-term elections are conducted with a view to assessing those in office, adding that Nigeria should aspire to do same.
?Six year single tenure is like six years of dictatorship; we?re not comfortable with the proposal. We want the four year renewable tenure retained because the midterms elections afford the people opportunity to assess their leaders,? the APGA chairman stressed.
