For some reason, the subject of President Muhammadu Buhari seeking an extension of his tenure in office, has dominated social media and mainstream chatter in recent times.

Nigeria’s presidents are only allowed two-terms of 4 years each and no more, because that’s what the constitution allows. To change that, the constitution has to be amended. 

When a respected lawyer joins the bandwagon

In early November, human rights lawyer Femi Falana accused Buhari and his team of working to seek a third term in office for the 76-year-old. 

“You may have a third term campaign very soon. Very soon, they are going to destroy all possible opponents and they have started. So, by the time they bring in the third term agenda, the media would have been gone but we are not going to allow it,” Falana said at an event in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital.

Falana’s comments prompted Buhari to deny that he is seeking to extend his stay in office before his constitutionally permissible second elapses in May of 2023.

“I’m not going to make the mistake of attempting a third term. Besides the age, the constitution makes provision for only two terms,” Buhari said at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja on Friday, November 22, 2019.

Watch snippets of Buhari swearing that he won’t be seeking a third term in office, below: 

Are you convinced yet?