Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, has advocated a single-term tenure for political office holders.
This is contained in a statement issued on Wednesday in Ibadan by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sulaimon Olanrewaju.
According to the statement, Makinde stated this at a dinner in honour of the National Executive of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), to flag off their retreat in Ibadan.
The governor said this would allow such political office holders enough time to do everything they have in mind within a single term instead of thinking about a second term.
“I am a supporter of a single-term structure. As a matter of fact, I didn’t want a second term and I told the fathers of faith that four years may not be long enough to do everything that you want to do, but it’s long enough to make your own impact and go your own way.
“But maybe, if we have the opportunity to discuss this, I think a five- or six-year single term will really be enough for most of us to do whatever it is that we are supposed to do,” the governor added.
Makinde further called on Nigerians to pray for those in positions of authority, stating that political campaigns are over and that it is now time for governance.
According to him, governance is about the interest and wellness of the country, political parties would come and go but the country would remain, hence the need for Nigerians to pray and work with those in positions of authority.
The governor, who described the theme of the retreat, “Going from Strength to Strength”, as indicative of where Nigeria should be as a nation, urged all Nigerians to join hands to rebuild the nation, while calling on Christians to pray for the restoration of Nigeria’s glory so that it could go from strength to strength.
He said: “I listened to the National President of the PFN, Bishop Wale Oke, on the theme chosen for this serious event, ‘Going from Strength to Strength’. Well, I think this is really apt, because that is where we are supposed to be as a nation.
“We must think about rebuilding our nation and the role the body of Christ has to play in that process. The Bible asks Christians to pray for their leaders. As Christians, we should carry out the work that God has assigned to us effectively.”
He called on Christians to make conscious efforts to participate in politics, so that the ones considered unfit by the majority would not continue to make decisions for the majority of the people.
In his remarks, Bishop Oke said the retreat came at a very critical time in the nation’s history, with the country having just gone through a general election that shook the nation to its foundation and almost pitched Nigerians against one another.