IBADAN, Nigeria — Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has called for a constitutional amendment to limit elected public officials to a single term of five or six years, arguing that the current two-term structure creates unnecessary political distractions and hampers effective governance.
Makinde made the comments on Friday, June 6, 2025, while receiving a delegation of Muslim faithful, traditional leaders, and political figures led by his deputy, Bayo Lawal, at his Ibadan residence shortly after Eid-el-Kabir prayers.
Reflecting on his own tenure, now in its sixth year, the governor noted that governance is often derailed by re-election campaigns and political speculation.
“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.”
Makinde argued that only about five out of the eight years in office are effectively used for governance.
“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,” he added.
Emphasising the need for honest national dialogue, the governor said, “We shouldn’t be afraid to say the facts based on data that is available to us. It has nothing to do with me. If they say I should end it, so be it.”
Makinde urged the public to begin engaging with the idea, stressing that it is a constitutional matter.
“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.”
Under the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Nigerian presidents and governors are allowed to serve a maximum of two four-year terms.
Recent proposals for reform have stirred national debate.
In October 2024, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar also recommended a six-year single tenure for the presidency, suggesting that the office be rotated among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
However, a bill seeking to establish such a reform was rejected by the House of Representatives in November 2024.
