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The House of Representatives has rejected a bill to reduce the tenure of Nigeria’s president and governors to a single six-year term.
The proposal, which was sponsored by Ikenga Ugochinyere and other lawmakers, was debated on Thursday, November 21, but failed to gain support when put to a vote.
The bill aimed to amend the 1999 Constitution to implement a single six-year term for the president, governors, and lawmakers. This would streamline election processes by holding all national elections on a single day.
However, the majority of lawmakers voted against the proposal, marking the second time in recent years such a bill has been rejected.
A similar bill, sponsored by Benue State lawmaker John Dyegh in 2019, also failed to progress to the second reading.
Supporters of the bill, including Dyegh, argued that a six-year term for National Assembly members would allow them to gain more experience and that a single term for the president and governors would reduce the violence and costs associated with re-election campaigns.
"Re-election for the President and governors cost three times more than the first election and is characterised by violence," Dyegh said, advocating for a five-year or six-year single term.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had also pushed for a constitutional amendment to allow a six-year single term for the president, suggesting that it should apply to each of Nigeria's six geopolitical zones.
Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo added his voice in June, supporting the idea of a single term for elected officials.
He argued that it would allow leaders to focus on governance without the distraction of impending elections.