Senator Ken Eze, Chairman Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation.
By Victor Nwegede
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation, Ken Eze, has urged Nigerians to engage in a nationwide conversation about the possibility of extending the presidential tenure to a single, 16-year term, arguing that the current four-year electoral cycle hampers policy continuity and long-term development.
Speaking from his Ohigbo Amagu country home in Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, the lawmaker emphasized that successive administrations often abandon the initiatives of their predecessors, leaving key projects unfinished and policies unimplemented.
“Every four years we are back in campaign mode. By the third year, governance slows as attention shifts to re-election. That is why projects are abandoned and policies are never allowed to mature,” Eze said.
Under Nigeria’s current constitution, presidents serve a four-year term, renewable once. Eze proposed replacing this two-term system with a single, elongated tenure, arguing that it would free leaders from electoral pressures and allow them to focus on long-term development goals.
“If you ask me, I would advocate for one tenure — 16 years. It may sound controversial, but it would allow policies to run their full course and stabilize the system,” he stated.
The senator cited sectors such as power, infrastructure, agriculture, and fiscal reform as areas where long-term policy continuity is essential. He pointed to irrigation projects, mechanized agriculture initiatives, and energy reforms as examples of programs requiring multi-year commitments that cannot succeed under short electoral cycles.
He also defended recent economic reforms, particularly the removal of fuel subsidies, describing them as necessary measures to prevent fiscal collapse and protect Nigeria’s economic stability.
“We were borrowing to pay salaries. That is not sustainable for any country,” he said.
While acknowledging that the proposal may be contentious, Eze framed the discussion as a governance debate rather than an attempt to weaken democratic principles.
He stressed the need for national dialogue on constitutional reforms to assess whether an extended tenure could improve policy implementation without undermining the system of checks and balances.
Political analysts has noted that any such change would require extensive constitutional amendments and the approval of the National Assembly and state legislatures.
Beyond tenure reform, the senator urged Nigerians, including journalists, teachers, civil servants, and parents, to embrace civic responsibility and collective patriotism. “Everybody has a role to play. If we do not change our orientation, policies alone cannot save the system,” he said.
Eze’s proposal introduces a bold and potentially polarizing idea into Nigeria’s democratic discourse, prompting questions about whether longer, uninterrupted leadership could accelerate development, or whether it could risk weakening democratic accountability.
